Football
Tom Marshall, Mexico correspondent 5y

MLS, Liga MX more competitive than Europe week-in, week-out - Martino

Mexico coach Gerardo "Martino isn't overly concerned that players like Marco Fabian, Miguel Layun and Carlos Salcedo having left European club sides over recent weeks.

The Argentine is adamant that his players need to play regularly, regardless of which club they feature for, with Fabian signing for Philadelphia Union, Salcedo joining Tigres and Layun moving to Monterrey so far this year.

"Like I've said in recent weeks, my biggest concern is the players finding rhythm," said Martino in a news conference on Wednesday in Mexico City. "We obviously value those [players] that play in the best leagues in the world.

"However, it is also true that we value the fact they are playing regularly and, in that respect, it's not a problem for me that Carlos or Layun or Fabian come to play in Mexico or [MLS].

"I'll repeat again what I've already said: there are probably a greater number of competitive games in the Mexican league or [MLS] than in the Spanish or English leagues.

"When you look at the English league, 10 of the 38 games are really competitive and if you start to look elsewhere, above all in the United States, where all the teams have more or less the same provisions to sign players and to put together [a team] ... there's probably greater competitive demands over the course of the year in Mexico or the United States than in the best leagues in Europe."

Martino took his first training sessions with El Tri this week with a 24-player, Liga MX-based squad and said around 50 percent of the call-up -- to be named around March 10 -- for next month's friendlies against Chile and Paraguay will be from Mexico's top division.

When the former Argentina manager was asked whether he'd spoken to West Ham striker Javier Hernandez after rumors in the Mexican press that he hasn't been happy with how things have been run in the national team, Martino rejected the idea that it was his job to motivate players to come to El Tri.

"With respect to Javier Hernandez or any other footballer, like I said before, I've only spoken to the Dos Santos brother and with [Carlos] Vela, I've not spoken to others abroad," said Martino. "I can't tell you whether Javier is disenchanted or not with his career or how much or little it is valued here in Mexico. For us, he is without doubt a player that is very much being considered.

"Furthermore, I don't see from the perspective of the coach of the national team that we have to encourage the players, because the enthusiasm should be found in the call-up to the national team. To represent your country and put on the shirt is enough motivation."

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