Higuain is at the centre of a tug-of-war between France, the country where he was born and with whom he holds a passport, and Argentina, the country of his parents and where he has lived almost all his life.

Domenech tried to force the 18-year-old's hand by selecting him for the November 15 friendly in Paris, but Higuain's father Jorge told a Buenos Aires radio station that his son was not yet ready to commit to one country or the other.

"For the moment, Gonzalo does not want to go and play for France; we can't force him," Jorge, known as Pipa when he was a player, told Radio Del Plata.

"Right now he doesn't want to go over there, he has other priorities. At home we show him the way but we respect his decision."

Higuain senior's comments were widely broadcast by the Argentinian press on Friday, just a day after Higuain himself had shown little enthusiasm for the 22,000km round-trip to Europe to play in a friendly.

"I am happy that they (France) selected me," he said. Although when he was then asked whether he would rather play for Argentina, Higuain replied: "yes".

The news came as a surprise to Domenech who seemed to think Higuain's heart was already at the Stade de France.

Higuain himself has not said much on the subject but last Sunday he told TPS Star television in Argentina: "I am French, but I have still not decided what to do.

"I'm only 18 and when I have decided I will make it known. I just want to be sure I make the right choice."

It all adds to the mystery surrounding a player whose club boss Daniel Passarella describes as "a mix between (Zinedine) Zidane and (Enzo) Francescoli."

Domenech, though, is not likely to give up on the young star without a fight.

He said: "Given his situation, I would have understood and respected the choice of Gonzalo Higuain if he had announced that he wanted to play for Argentina.

"I am surprised by this non-decision. He has claimed to be French and like every French player he should make himself available when selected by the national team, whatever his club or his past."

Domenech has a history of forcing players to turn up for French internationals, even selecting Chelsea's Claude Makelele and Barcelona's Liliam Thuram after they announced their international retirement.

In the case of Makele, Domenech threatened to prevent him playing for Chelsea if he refused his call-up.

Higuain was born in Brest, north-west France, while his father was playing for the local club.

But he moved back to Argentina before his first birthday, and although he has retained a French passport, he holds permanent residency in Argentina.

"I was hoping to use this friendly match against Greece, which has no significance to his international future, to discuss his situation with him," added Domenech.