A number of nations have injury concerns over key players ahead of the opening round of matches at Euro 2020.
Gareth Southgate‘s preparations for the competition have been far from ideal with a few members of his England squad carrying knocks from the end of last season when selected.
He is far from alone in having fitness-related issues to contend with on the eve of the tournament with other managers concerned over the availability of their prized assets.
Although each team is in a bio-secure “bubble” the threat of a Covid-19 outbreak will also loom throughout Euro 2020 and the virus has already caused issues for a couple of teams, notably 2008 and 2012 champions Spain.
Ahead of the European Championship’s belated start, here are the main injury doubts going into the first round of matches.
Harry Maguire (England)
Harry Maguire’s recovery from an ankle injury sustained while playing for Manchester United last month has dominated England’s preparations for the tournament.
Southgate has previously insisted that he has no regrets over selecting the 28-year-old, despite fears that he may not be able to feature at all.
England have been given a boost ahead of their opening game against Croatia, though, as Maguire was able to take part in full training for the first time on Thursday.
Despite that, Maguire remains a serious doubt to play a part in Sunday’s match at Wembley.
Karim Benzema (France)
Karim Benzema’s recall to the France squad following a six-year absence has arguably been the biggest story ahead of the competition.
The Real Madrid striker has joined an all-star attacking line-up, featuring PSG’s Kylian Mbappe, Barcelona’s Antoine Griezmann and Chelsea’s Olivier Giroud, who is his country’s second-top scorer in history.
Benzema hobbled off in the first half of France’s warm-up win over Bulgaria in midweek, raising fears that his long-awaited comeback would be a short-lived one.
But Didier Deschamps has not ruled him out of the first game against Germany, saying: “It’s a knock. He took a good hit on the muscle above the knee, and he felt that it was getting worse so we took no risk. It’s nothing dramatic.”
Matthijs De Ligt (Netherlands)
The Netherlands are already without their best central defender and captain, Virgil van Dijk, for the tournament due to a knee injury and have concerns over another highly-rated centre back in Matthijs de Ligt.
De Ligt limped out of training last Saturday due to a groin complaint and was left out of the squad for the 3-0 win over Georgia the following day.
However, the Juventus defender was able to resume training with the rest of the squad on Tuesday, raising the possibility that he will be fit enough to face Ukraine on Sunday.
Kevin De Bruyne (Belgium)
Kevin De Bruyne suffered an acute nose bone fracture and left orbital fracture in a shuddering collision with Antonio Rudiger during the Champions League final.
The Manchester City playmaker required surgery for the injuries to his face and Belgium manager Roberto Martinez said the medical team were “very happy” with how it went.
Despite that, De Bruyne is expected to miss Belgium’s opening match against Russia on Saturday, with the second game with Denmark next Thursday a more realistic return date.
“He will probably not be ready for the game against Russia and we will analyse the situation day by day,” Martinez confirmed earlier this week.
Sergio Busquets (Spain)
Spain’s health minister, Carolina Darias has said that everyone in Luis Enrique’s squad will be given Covid-19 vaccinations after Barcelona midfielder Sergio Busquets and Leeds defender Diego Llorente tested positive for the virus this week.
Busquets, who was named Spain’s captain after Sergio Ramos was left out of the squad, is self-isolating but Llorente may be able to rejoin the squad after subsequently testing negative.
The Netherlands manager Frank De Boer omitted his first-choice goalkeeper Jasper Cilllessen from his squad after he tested positive for Covid-19, but Enrique has no plans to do likewise with Busquets.
“It’s not that I want to wait for him; it’s that I will wait for him. I will wait for all of them,” he said.
Dejan Kulusevski (Sweden)
Spain’s opponents in the first game will also be without a key player in Juventus forward Dejan Kulusevski who is self-isolating after testing positive earlier this week.
“It’s extremely unfortunate that it (the virus) got in (to our camp). It’s sad for Dejan and sad generally,” said Sweden manager Janne Andersson.
“It is impossible to get away from, it creates some concern, at the same time we are handling it as we should, and I have confidence in our doctors.”
More from i on Euro 2020
- i’s Euro 2020 predictions – winners, dark horses, golden boot and more
- Daniel Storey’s guide to all 24 teams – from hot favourites to no hopers
- Home nations guides on England, Scotland and Wales
- How to watch every Euro 2020 match on TV and online in the UK
- Why England players are taking a knee at Euro 2020 – in their own words
from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3izXyQU
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