Inter Miami have impressed this winter in pre-season, with more away day planned in the form of CD Olimpia in Honduras.
The Florida franchise have won all three of their friendlies so far this off-season, with Tadeo Allende impressing Inter Miami fans in their latest win against Sporting San Miguelito, with new signing Fafa Picault also finding the back of the net alongside Benjamin Cremaschi.
With Luis Suarez swapping shirts with teenager Raheen Cuello, Inter Miami have used this pre-season well to expand their brand in Latin America and to get some good minutes under their belt heading into the 2025 MLS campaign.
Although Jordi Alba missed Inter Miami training this week, the likes of Lionel Messi, Suarez and Sergio Busquets have looked fit and healthy this pre-season, and Javier Mascherano has now hinted if a key player from last year could travel with the squad to Honduras later this week.
Javier Mascherano undecided on if Drake Callender will travel
Speaking to the press, the former Argentina youth manager admitted that he is not sure if Drake Callender will travel with Inter Miami to Honduras, with the no. 1 not fully fit yet to train with the Herons.
The Inter Miami star picked up a knock on international duty with the USA, a camp that gave Callender and Benjamin Cremaschi the chance to impress new manager Mauricio Pochettino leading up to the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
Yet Mascherano didn’t seem convinced that Callender will feature for Inter Miami this week in Honduras, with the Argentine manager saying when asked: “We will see. We are guided by the medical staff. The earlier we get him back, the better.
“Obviously, we want to give all our players minutes before the end of the preseason. He has not been able to train fully, and that is tough for us and for him, who should have the chance to compete at the same level as the other keepers.”
READ MORE: Everything you need to know about Drake Callender, Inter Miami’s unsung hero
Could Inter Miami replace Callender this off-season?
With Inter Miami eyeing a replacement for Callender last month, the prospect of the USA international being succeeded is unlikely but not impossible, with Mascherano clearly having a plan on what he wants in his squad for this season.
Yet after Mascherano’s comments, the uncomfortable feeling that a fan favorite like Callender could be replaced looks to have passed, with the USA international seemingly ready to reclaim his place as the starting goalkeeper.
Indeed, Callender is one of the best goalkeepers in MLS and a player who has been with Inter Miami since the very start, and offloading the California-born shot-stopper now would feel like an unwanted gut-punch that will leave a bad taste in the mouths of supporters.