Has Sergio Dest given USMNT boss Gregg Berhalter a late World Cup injury scare?
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Did Sergio Dest give Gregg Berhalter a late World Cup injury? USMNT right-back misses ANOTHER AC Milan game due to adductor fatigue ahead of roster announcement in Qatar
Question marks over Sergino Dest’s availability for the World Cup rose on Tuesday evening as the defender missed his third game in a row for AC Milan.
The 21-year-old is USMNT coach Gregg Berhalter’s first choice as a right-back and is expected to be included in his World Cup roster on Wednesday.
But Dest was once again absent from his team, Italian giants AC Milan, in a 0-0 draw against Cremonese in Serie A on Tuesday.
Sergino Dest is expected to be the USMNT starting right into the 2022 World Cup
Dest Missed Several Games Due To What Is Called Kidnap Fatigue
Last week, Dest was described by Milan, second in the Italian standings, as struggling with adductor fatigue.
The United States will begin their World Cup campaign against Wales on November 21. Milan, meanwhile, has one game left in Italy before the World Cup starts – against Fiorentina on Sunday.
It could give Dest, who is loaned out to the Barcelona club, one last chance to get a few minutes under the belt before the tournament kicks off.
He has made eight appearances for the Italians so far this season and has also appeared in the USMNT’s last two games – a 2-0 defeat to Japan and a 0-0 draw to Saudi Arabia. His last game was on October 30 against Torino.
After playing against Wales, the US will meet England on November 25. It rounds out its group against Iran on November 29.
A version of Berhalter’s 26-man squad was leaked online Tuesday night, ahead of his big announcement, and it featured Dest on the roster.
Berhalter is sweating a number of injured players with less than two weeks to go before the United States open their campaign against Wales.
The manager said last week that he would review stars who have been sidelined on a case-by-case basis, but welcomed positive news.
“Some of the guys we’re working with now, Aaron Long and Walker Zimmerman, we’ve been able to work with them for about two weeks now, which would be a good time,” Berhalter said.
“Guys who got injured last camp, like Cameron Carter-Vickers, are back on the field now. That’s handy. Mark McKenzie plays in Belgium every week.
Eric Palmer-Brown plays in France every week. And Tim Ream plays weekly in the Premier League. That’s a good thing. So I’m pretty confident that with that group we can get four central defenders who can help us win games.”