England’s 1-0 win over Austria may have come at a heavy cost with Trent Alexander-Arnold now a major doubt for the European Championship.
The right-back appeared to mouth “it’s gone” to the physios after pulling up with a thigh injury in the second half with no-one around him.
With the Three Lions kicking off their Euro 2020 campaign against Croatia on 13 June, Alexander-Arnold is expected to undergo scans on Thursday once the swelling has reduced. England’s medics will also consult with Liverpool‘s physio team.
Gareth Southgate made the surprise move to include him in his final 26-man squad alongside Kyle Walker, Kieran Trippier and Reece James. Indeed, widespread reports had indicated that the 22-year-old would be one of seven players left out, but there is now a serious question mark over whether he will play any part at the tournament after all.
“It looks like thigh [injury] but we don’t know the extent at the moment,” Southgate said.
“Clearly it’s not a good sign that he had to walk off and looked in some discomfort with it, but we’ll know more in the next 24-48 hours.”
In the ITV studio, Roy Keane admitted Alexander-Arnold looked like he was in “big trouble”.
“It certainly didn’t [look good], and we’re obviously quick to jump the gun and talk about how serious it might be,” Keane said. “He walked past us there and he looked really uncomfortable, he was swearing quite a bit so it doesn’t look good, absolutely not.”
Ian Wright, who was also on punditry duties, added: “My instincts, you could see even when he’s covering his face with his shirt, he himself probably feels like it’s not going to happen for him simply because you know instantly when you’re injured and how long it’s going to be.
“The way he kicked the ball, I’m not sure if it looked like a thigh, a hamstring, I don’t know what it could have been, but if it’s that and we’re talking about 10 days – there’s no way he’s making that.”
Can England replace Alexander-Arnold?
Southgate will be desperate to find out the severity of the setback sooner rather than later, with the deadline for any last-minute changes looming.
At the end of a hectic campaign, Uefa has taken measures to prevent players being overworked; typically, European Championship squads are made up of 23 players, not 26.
Crucially, in the case of Alexander-Arnold, the governing body will also allow nations to make unlimited changes to their squad prior to 11 June when the first game kicks off between Turkey and Italy. Amendments can only be made due to injury, illness, a positive Covid-19 test or close contact.
Once players are replaced, they are not allowed to come back. The only exception regards goalkeepers, who can be replaced mid-tournament even if other players in their position are available.
It’s likely Southgate would call up one of the seven players he axed from the provisional squad in place of Alexander-Arnold, with Ben Godfrey and Ben White the two defenders who were cut. However, there had been some talk that the full-back was set to be deployed in midfield, which could open up a spot for James Ward-Prowse or Jesse Lingard.
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from Football – inews.co.uk https://ift.tt/3vOJ2sf
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