5 players who face a race against time to be fit for Euro 2020
League football might be coming to an end, but summer brings us one of the biggest footballing spectacles in the form of the UEFA European Football Championship (Euro 2020).
Some of the biggest stars in world football will hope to make their presence felt. France's strength and depth has been well-covered, while the likes of the Netherlands, Germany, Portugal and Spain will all hope to make an impact.
Some players, however, have already announced that they will not be taking part. The Netherlands' Virgil van Dijk, Sweden's Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Germany's Marc-Andre ter Stegen and Marco Reus will not be gracing the football field due to various injury issues.
We look at 5 players who face a race against time to be fit for the Euros 2020.
#5 Julian Baumgartlinger (Bayer Leverkusen / Austria)
The captain of the Austria national team, Julian Baumgartlinger, is a serious doubt to feature at Euro 2020 this summer.
Baumgartlinger has been a consistent presence for Bayer Leverkusen since his arrival in 2016 from Mainz. The 33-year old, however, suffered a serious knee injury against Wolfsburg in January and has been out of action ever since.
The midfielder, who is good on the ball and a strong tackler, started 12 games in the Bundesliga before his injury. Austria national team manager Franco Foda is yet to announce the squad for Euro 2020 and if Baumgartlinger does not feature, the likes of Hoffenheim's Florian Grillitsch and Wolfsburg's Xaver Schlager might have to step up in midfield.
#4 Daley Blind (Ajax / The Netherlands)
One of the most underrated players in Europe, Daley Blind has been a vital cog for club and country for some time now.
The 31-year old is an excellent passer and is renowned for his versatility. Blind can play as a centre-back, left-back and in defensive midfield. The former Manchester United man was injured while on national duty in March and has not featured for Ajax since.
Blind was named in the preliminary Euro 2020 squad by Netherlands national team manager Frank de Boer. With Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk not available, Blind's potential absence could prove to be a big problem for the Netherlands. It also puts more pressure on 21-year old Juventus centre-back Matthijs de Ligt.
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