Julio Cruz says Lazio teammate Mauro Zarate deserves to be considered for Diego Maradona's Argentina squad.

Zarate is yet to be capped by Argentina and has openly declared he would consider switching allegiances to Italy.

"Mauro is a very young boy, he is growing and it is not easy to play in Italy," said Cruz. "But he has already shown he has the ability to play in the national team.

"Lazio have invested a lot in him because of his ability.

"He needs to show Maradona that he can be an important player."