Defender Hurtado earns Ecuador recall
Oct 09, 2021
Quito (Ecuador) Oct 9: Teenage right-back Jose Hurtado has been drafted into Ecuador's squad for World Cup qualifiers against Venezuela and Colombia, the Ecuadorian Football Federation (FEF) said on Friday.
The 19-year-old replaces Byron Castillo, who suffered an unspecified left leg injury in the Tricolor's 3-0 home win over Bolivia on Thursday.
"We are waiting for an official diagnosis, although the prospect of a break or something more serious has been ruled out," FEF director Carlos Manzur told Radio La Red.
Hurtado, who plays for Ecuadorian top-flight club Independiente del Valle, has been capped once for Ecuador's senior national team.
The Tricolor will play Venezuela in Caracas on Sunday and Colombia in Barranquilla four days later.
Gustavo Alfaro's men are currently third in the 10-team South American qualifying group with 16 points from 10 matches, 11 points behind leaders Brazil.
Source: Xinhua
