hero-image

England midfielder misses second day of main training ahead of FIFA World Cup opener against Iran: Reports

England midfielder James Maddison has missed the Three Lions' training session two days in a row ahead of the 2022 FIFA World Cup, according to The Sun.

The latest edition of the FIFA World Cup will commence in Qatar on Sunday (November 20). The host nation will lock horns with Ecuador in the event's curtain-raiser at Al Bayt Stadium.

Many of the 32 participants have already landed in Qatar as they prepare for the tournament. England are among those who flew into the Middle East this week to acclimatize to the hot weather.

The Three Lions face Iran in their first match of the FIFA World Cup on Monday (November 21). Preparations are thus under full swing as Gareth Southgate looks to get his team ready for the competition.

While there are only three more days to go for their game, England have an injury concern in their team. Maddison has not trained with the rest of the squad for two consecutive days, according to the aforementioned source.

James Maddison isn’t training again; he’s come out briefly to listen to team meeting and headed straight back in. He’s wearing trainers, the rest are in boots which indicates another day of treatment and gym work.

The Leicester City attacker was present for the team talk ahead of the training session on Friday (November 18). However, he went back inside as the rest of the team began full training, as per the report.

Maddison notably suffered an injury in Leicester's final Premier League match before the World Cup break. He was forced off the pitch just 25 minutes into their 2-0 win against West Ham last weekend.

It appears the former Norwich City man has not fully recovered from the injury to his knee. It now remains to be seen if he will be available for team selection for England's match against Iran.

Maddison has scored seven goals and provided four assists in 13 league appearances for Leicester this term. His performances for the Foxes saw him earn a call-up to Southgate's 26-man squad for the FIFA World Cup.


Kyle Walker is another injury concern for England ahead of the FIFA World Cup

Kyle Walker did not feature in Manchester City's six league games leading up to the FIFA World Cup break due to an injury. He has nevertheless been named in England's squad for the tournament.

Steve Holland addressing #ENG players. All 26 players out there, including Kyle Walker, training. https://t.co/ChZiPXmkJc

The defender is expected to be unavailable for the Three Lions' World Cup opener against Iran. However, unlike Maddison, he has been training with the rest of the squad ahead of the competition, as per the report.

Maddison is thus the only player who has missed team training this week.

You may also like