Injuries to some of soccer鈥檚 biggest names are mounting ahead of the which starts next month, including , and .
All three are expected to be fine in time for the World Cup, but others have not been so fortunate.
France’s Hugo Ekitike in April that could take more than six months to fully recover, ruling him out of the tournament co-hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and possibly the start of next season.
Brazil stars and are definitely out. So is Bayern Munich and Germany forward Serge Gnabry after .
is out of contention for the World Cup after sustaining medial ligament damage. The Premier League leader confirmed the injury on Tuesday and said the England international would be out for the rest of the season.
Players and coaches have increasingly warned about the impact of an ever-packed playing schedule, and the expanded World Cup comes a year after the relaunched, supersized Club World Cup. The Champions League has also been expanded in recent years.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta describes the demand on players as 鈥渁n accident waiting to happen.”
With the World Cup just around the corner and the biggest club prizes up for grabs in the final weeks of the season for many top leagues, players are walking a tightrope to avoid injury before the tournament kicks off.
Players definitely ruled out of the World Cup
Argentina: Joaqu铆n Panichelli (ACL)
Brazil: 脡der Milit茫o (hamstring), Rodrygo (ACL)
England: Ben White (medial ligament)
France: Hugo Ekitike (Achilles)
Germany: Serge Gnabry (adductor)
Netherlands: Xavi Simons (ACL)
United States: Cameron Carter-Vickers (Achilles), Patrick Agyemang (Achilles)
Ones to watch
Algeria: Goalkeeper Luca Zidane, the son of France icon Zinedine Zidane, is a doubt after a facial injury during an on-field collision last month.
Argentina: Cristian Romero has been with a knee injury. It has not yet been confirmed if he is out of the World Cup, with Tottenham not giving a timeframe for his recovery.
Canada: Star left back Alphonso Davies with just over a month to go before the tournament starts when he was hurt during Bayern Munich’s exit to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League semifinals.
Croatia: Veteran midfielder Luka Modri膰 last month but is expected to be available for the World Cup. Defender Jo拧ko Gvardiol returned to training for Manchester City in earlier May after four months out with a .
Morocco: Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi has been sidelined with a .
United States: Midfielder Johnny Cardoso five weeks before the World Cup while training with Atletico Madrid.
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