The World Cup will be short of star players as injuries increase before the start of the big games
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The number of injuries to football celebrities is increasing before the World Cup which starts next month, including Kylian Mbappe, Lamine Yamal and Mohamed Salah.
All three are expected to do well during the World Cup, but others were not so lucky.
France’s Hugo Ekitike suffered an Achilles injury in April that could take more than six months to fully recover, ruling him out of the tournament hosted by the United States, Canada and Mexico and the start of next season.
Brazilian stars Rodrygo and Éder Gabriel Militão they are definitely out. Likewise, Bayern Munich and Germany forward Serge Gnabry after injuring his adductor in training.
Arsenal defender Ben White has been ruled out of the World Cup after injuring his medial ligament. The Premier League leader confirmed the injury on Tuesday and said the Englishman will be out for the rest of the season.
Players and coaches are increasingly warning about the impact of a packed playing schedule, and the extended World Cup comes a year after the restart of the Club World Cup. The Champions League has also been expanded in recent years.
Arsenal manager Mikel Arteta describes the need for players as “an accident waiting to happen.”
With the World Cup just around the corner and major club awards up for grabs in the final weeks of the season in many top leagues, players are walking a tightrope to avoid injury before the tournament begins.
Players excluded from the World Cup:
- Argentina: Joaquin Panichelli (ACL)
- Brazil: Eder Militão (hamstring), Rodrygo (ACL)
- England: Ben White (knee strain)
- France: Hugo Ekitike (Achilles)
- Germany: Serge Gnabry (adductor)
- Netherlands: Xavi Simons (knee strain)
- United States: Cameron Carter-Vickers (Achilles), Patrick Agyemang (Achilles)
To watch you
Algeria: Goalkeeper Luca Zidane, son of France star Zinedine Zidane, is a doubt after sustaining facial injuries in a pitch collision last month.
Argentina: Cristian Romero is out for the season with a knee injury. It has not been confirmed whether he is out of the World Cup, and Tottenham are not giving him time to recover.
In Canada: Left-back Alphonso Davies suffered a hamstring injury more than a month before the start of the competition when he suffered the injury during Bayern Munich’s Champions League semi-final defeat by Paris Saint-Germain.
Croatia: Veteran midfielder Luka Modric broke his cheekbone last month but is expected to be present at the World Cup. The protector Josko Guardio he returned to Manchester City training at the beginning of May after four months with a broken leg.
Morocco: Paris Saint-Germain defender Achraf Hakimi is out with a right thigh injury.
United States: Midfielder Johnny Cardoso sprained his right ankle five weeks before the World Cup while training with Atletico Madrid.
