The news will be a bitter blow to Sir Alex Ferguson, who will also be without Portuguese winger Cristiano Ronaldo because of Athens commitments.

Both players could miss four Premiership games as well as a Champions League qualifier.

Centre-half Heinze is one of the three over-age players on duty for Argentina in the Under-23 tournament.

The others are Valencia defender Roberto Ayala and Inter Milan winger Kily Gonzalez.

However, Sunderland full-back Julio Arca has been overlooked for the squad - to the relief of boss Mick McCarthy.

The Black Cats had prevented Arca, 23, from playing in the qualifiers in January - because they were not Fifa-backed - but would have been compelled to release the player for Athens.

Heinze was signed from Paris St Germain at the start of the summer

Ironically, Arca's team-mate Nicolas Medina - who spent last season on loan at Spanish club Leganes after failing to break into the Sunderland team - has been picked for Marcelo Bielsa's squad.

Argentina have been included in Group C and will face Serbia & Montenegro, Tunisia and Australia.

Portugal, who also include Fulham's Luis Boa Morte and Chelsea's new signing Tiago, face Iraq, Morocco and Costa Rica in their group.

Australia have included Craig Moore, whose decision to go to Athens has prompted Rangers to put him on the transfer list.

Partick Thistle defender Adrian Madaschi has also been selected by coach Frank Farina, while other British-based players in the team are Middlesbrough keeper Brad Jones, Bristol City midfielder Luke Wilkshire and David Tarka of Nottingham Forest.

Meanwhile, Bolton midfielder Stelios Giannakopoulos - one of Greece's Euro 2004 champions - will be an Olympic torch bearer in the run-up to the Games, but was not named in his country's playing squad.