Edgardo Bauza came under fire for continuing to select Ezequiel Lavezzi for the Argentina squad despite the 32-year-old barely kicking a ball after his switch to Hebei China Fortune and while Jorge Sampaoli has now seemingly deemed Pocho surplus to requirements, the former Paris Saint-Germain forward is in a rich vein of form.

Hebei have been struggling for results of late and surrendered an injury time goal on Thursday to drop another two points against Shanghai SIPG but Lavezzi was once again on target.

Pocho ran clear to emphatically smash the ball into the net and cancel out Shanghai’s opener and after a slow start has now established himself as one of the top players in the Chinese Super League.

EMPATÓ EL POCHO#LigaChinaxFOX | Tras un contrataque, Lavezzi marcó el 1-1. pic.twitter.com/Y1HUf9sYTp

— FOX Sports Argentina (@FOXSportsArg) August 10, 2017

Lavezzi’s latest strike was his eleventh goal of the season and when added to his eleven assists in only 18 appearances, the veteran forward’s contribution to the Hebei attack is considerable.

Despite not playing in every game, it is a direct involvement in almost 60% of the team’s goals scored this season.

When Hebei proclaimed Lavezzi as the ‘new Maradona’ at his signing, this level of performance is perhaps what they were expecting.

Sampaoli looks certain to call upon the younger generation, the likes of Mauro Icardi and Paulo Dybala, for his upcoming Argentina squad but as a loyal servant to La Albiceleste for many years, Lavezzi deserves his plaudits in China.