Key 2022 Fifa World Cup players face injury

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A string of injuries across various leagues have raised questions about the physical form of several prospective players of the 2022 Fifa World Cup and ruled out others from the event. Teams hit by injuries include Portugal who currently have two wingers unavailable. This includes the Wolves’ Pedro Neto who sustained an injury to his ankle ligaments and Diogo Jota, who injured his calf in Liverpool’s match against Manchester City. Incidentally, Neto had just recovered from a knee injury sustained last season, and Jota is potentially missing the World Cup as his recovery could take months. Brazil and Argentina are also impacted with Richarlison currently benched by the Spurs due to a calf injury, while Juventus’ Angel di Maria and AS Roma’s Paulo Dybala are recovering from hamstring injuries.

Meanwhile England’s defense has been made vulnerable, especially the right back players, who along with the wingers are a key component of the three lions who are favorites for the tournament. While the three right backs are expected to return from injury in time for the World Cup, the form they will be in is uncertain. This includes Chelsea’s Reece James who injured his knee against AC Milan, with an estimated recovery duration of 8 weeks. While Kyle Walker and Trent Alexander-Arnold are also a part of the team, James has been the defender of choice for England. However, Chelsea manager Graham Potter in unsure about how long it could take James to fully recover. Meanwhile Kyle Walker is also down with a groin injury and has undergone surgery, while Alexander-Arnold suffered an ankle injury in Liverpool’s defeat to Arsenal last week.