Lionel Scaloni & Pablo Aimar to Take Charge of Argentina Until Permanent Replacement Can Be Found

The Football Association of Argentina have announced that Lionel Scaloni and Pablo Aimar will assume temporary control of the national team, as they look for a permanent replacement for Jorge Sampaoli.

Scaloni was the assistant to Sampaoli at the World Cup this summer, in which Argentina fell to France in the Round of 16, meaning he already has a strong understanding of the squad.

According to FIFA, the President of the Argentine Football Association, Claudio Tapia, said: "Later we will decide who will assume the role permanently.

"We are going to take our time to make the right choice."

It was also revealed on Instagram that Scaloni will work alongside Aimar and Martin Tocalli, who were both coaches in the Argentinian setup. Aimar has been in charge of the Argentina Under-17 side for the past year, whilst Tocalli is a goalkeeping coach.

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Fans of the Premier League may remember Scaloni from his brief loan spell with West Ham in 2006, whilst Aimar is widely regarded as one of Argentina's finest ever players. The Guardian revealed that Lionel Messi grew up in awe of Aimar and attempted to model his game on the legend.

Under Sampaoli, Argentina endured a disappointing World Cup tournament. An underwhelming 1-1 draw with Iceland was followed by a humiliating 3-0 defeat at the hands of Croatia, leading to rumours that Sampaoli would be sacked before the team's final group stage match with Nigeria.

He remained in his position and guided the team to a 2-1 win which saw them advance to the Round of 16. However, their form meant they were serious underdogs against France, who would dispatch of the Argentinians on their way to winning the World Cup.

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Sampaoli's tactical choices throughout the tournament baffled and frustrated many fans, and he was quickly removed as manager following the 4-3 defeat to France.

Argentina have a few friendly matches lined up in the near future. Firstly, the squad will travel to Los Angeles for a clash with Guatemala on September 7th, before heading to New Jersey to meet Colombia on September 11th.