A Paraguayan judge has ordered the arrest of River Plate and Uruguay international midfielder Nicolas de la Cruz after he missed a preliminary hearing in an assault case.

Judge Hilda Vallejo declared that De La Cruz's absence had breached obligations to cooperate in the proceedings, either in person or by video conference, adding that his lawyers had also failed to appear.

De la Cruz is accused of assaulting a group of police officers after a Copa Libertadores U-20 match between his former club Liverpool of Uruguay and Defensores del Chaco in 2016.

The 23-year-old can only be detained if he enters Paraguayan territory.

Capped four times for Uruguay's national team, De la Cruz is currently preparing for the first leg of Thursday's Copa Libertadores quarterfinal between River Plate and Uruguay's Nacional in Buenos Aires.