World Cup: Reece James and Paul Pogba lead list of injury doubts ahead of showpiece

As next month’s World Cup draws closer, nerves are starting to kick in among those still on the treatment table.

First-choice England right-back Reece James limped away with what appeared to be a knee injury during Chelsea’s 2-0 win in Milan, while Argentina and Juventus veteran Angel di Maria left the field in tears after a thigh problem against Maccabi Haifa.

Forget Chelsea’s clash with Aston Villa on Sunday or Juventus’ trip to Turin on Saturday. The pair are said to have asked themselves one simple question: does this exclude me from Qatar?

With just five weeks to go before the World Cup curtain-raiser, James and Di Maria have joined an unfortunate roster of injured internationals, each battling for fitness in a race against the clock.

For some, a comeback is nearly impossible, while others are quietly confident that a full recovery is possible for Qatar.

Sports post has delved into the current World Cup injury list and assessed their chances of appearing at the tournament next month.

definitely out

Few head coaches explicitly ban their players for good, but a handful of international stars have just about said goodbye to their World Cup opportunities.

American defender Miles Robinson is still recovering from the torn Achilles tendon he sustained in May, while Poland and Brighton midfielder Jakub Moder remains on the sidelines after tore his ACL against Norwich late last season.

Meanwhile, Aston Villa summer signing Boubacar Kamara has little to no chance of returning to France after suffering a knee injury against Southampton earlier this month.

Portuguese substitute Pedro Neto underwent surgery last week following his ankle injury in Wolves’ 2-0 defeat to West Ham, virtually confirming his absence from Fernando Santos’ roster next month.

Major leg injuries have practically ruled out Mexico star Jesus Corona and Dutch midfielder Georginio Wijnaldum, who are still recovering from fibula and tibia fractures respectively.

Doubts

Despite England initially having an embarrassment of wealth as a right-back, England are now sweating over the availability of star trio James, Kyle Walker and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

Manchester City confirmed Walker had undergone surgery after sustaining a groin injury in the 6-3 win over rivals Manchester United, and Pep Guardiola insisted it was “too early to say” whether the fullback would return for Qatar.

Meanwhile, Alexander-Arnold sustained an ankle injury on Sunday during Liverpool’s 3-2 defeat to Arsenal.

Manager Jurgen Klopp seemed to think the right-back will be back for the World Cup, saying: “It’s always hard to say. Less than a month; I’ve heard two weeks, but we’ll have to see if that’s right.’

In addition to Walker, Manchester City are overseeing the return of England duo John Stones and Kalvin Phillips, each of whom played key roles for Gareth Southgate at Euro 2020.

Spanish attacking midfielder Mikel Oyarzabal recently returned to training for the first time since tearing his ACL in March, while international team-mate Dani Olmo is expected next week.

Despite completing rehabilitation, the pair will need to build competitive acuity and fitness ahead of the World Cup, which could be a struggle with just five weeks to go.

Reigning champions France are also concerned about a string of injuries led to Juventus star Paul Pogba, who was expected to return to action on October 25 after his long-term meniscus problem.

Fellow France midfielder N’Golo Kante has returned to Chelsea training but has yet to appear in a match squad for new manager Graham Potter.

French defenders Lucas Hernandez, Lucas Digne and Presnel Kimpembe are also fighting their way back to full fitness, with the latter expected to return by the end of the month.

German prodigy Florian Wirtz has finally had light training at Bayer Leverkusen after suffering an ACL tear last season, but the youngster is unlikely to return to full match fitness ahead of Hansi Flick’s roster.

Adding to their Neto injuries, Portugal could be without both veteran Pepe and PSG fullback Nuno Mendes, each of whom suffered injuries in early October.

Mendes, who stumbled with a ‘major muscle problem’ as quoted by L’Equipe during PSG’s 1-1 draw against Benfica on Tuesday, has been out of a handful of games.

The injury came less than a week after Real Madrid legend Pepe suffered an injury during training.

Finally, Paulo Dybala remains a big doubt for Argentina due to his left quadriceps problem.

Ultrasound tests have shown the former Juventus star is likely to miss six to eight weeks of action while on the sidelines, which will take him all the way to the World Cup opener between Qatar and Ecuador.

While he will almost certainly miss the start of the tournament, Argentina could be tempted to take him anyway in case they progress to the final stages.