World Cup: England could be missing key players for their first game next week

England could be missing their key midfielder James Maddison for the first World Cup game against Iran on Monday as he struggles to get match fit in time. The Leicester City midfielder missed England training on Thursday after picking up a knee injury in his last game for his club.

Maddison will be slowly stepping up his training load to aid his recovery in the hope of rehabilitating his knee in time for the game. He addressed the media yesterday saying, ‘We had a scan the day before we met up. It was a positive scan’ so there’s room for some optimism, as per The Sun.

The rest of the squad looked like they were finding the conditions in Qatar challenging as they constantly took on fluids to stay hydrated in the searing heat.

Kyle Walker

In addition to Maddison’s injury, England have also been waiting on Kyle Walker to recover after undergoing groin surgery last month. The right back is also racing against time to be match fit for Monday after limping off after the Manchester City win over Manchester United last month. A statement from the club said, as per the Manchester Evening News:

Kyle Walker has undergone surgery after suffering a groin injury to his left leg during the first half of our 6-3 win over Manchester United on Sunday. The surgery was successful and a more detailed prognosis will be provided in due course. Everyone at Manchester City wishes Kyle a speedy recovery.

Luckily, Walker recently told ITV Sport that while he may not be ready for the first game, he is good to go after that. He said:

It was touch and go at one stage but full credit to the physios to get me fit and healthy and I was confident after the surgery.

It is down to the manager now. I think the first game is a little too short but after that I will be good and ready to go."

Changes

According to FIFA rules it is still possible to make changes to the squad if injuries cause a player to be unfit to play. The Daily Express reports:

Any player who suffers a problem can be replaced at any time before their country’s first game. After that, only goalkeepers can be drafted into the squad as FIFA rules state that there must be three shot-stoppers in each squad.

England manager Gareth Southgate will be hoping changes won’t be necessary and that he can keep the 26 players he picked for his World Cup squad but we won’t know for sure until Monday.

England's first group game against Iran is scheduled to kick off at 1pm GMT on Monday 21 November and will be shown live on BBC One.

Sources used:

- The Sun 'QATAR LATEST: World Cup 2022 LIVE: James Maddison misses England training, Wales’ Roberts ‘feared for his life’ with pneumonia'

- Daily Express 'England World Cup squad standby list - who will head to Qatar 2022 if players are injured?'

- Manchester Evening News 'Kyle Walker and Man City issue statements on injury amid major World Cup doubt'