England have been hit with an injury worry ahead of their second World Cup qualifier against Latvia on Monday evening with Thomas Tuchel having now spoken out on his potential starting XI
Comments
Sport
Anthony Gordon
Anthony Gordon has withdrawn from the England squad(Image: Getty Images)
Anthony Gordon is “unable to walk properly” after his injury forced him to pull out of the England squad. But Thomas Tuchel has moved to allay fears of a long lay-off by insisting it is just bruising around his hip rather than any serious setback.
Gordon, 24, was likely to have started against Latvia and will now be a major concern for Newcastle but they do not play until they face Brentford on April 2. Tuchel had said it was a “worrying” injury after Gordon got a late knock against Albania on Friday night despite only coming on as a second half substitute.
Article continues below
Gordon has had a frustrating few weeks as he missed the Carabao Cup final after getting sent off in the FA Cup defeat to Brighton. The Newcastle winger then actually reported up late for England duty because Tuchel says he was complaining of illness.
England boss Tuchel told BBC 5Live: “It’s just a matter of pain, there’s a big bruise around the hip region and he’s unable to walk properly.
READ MORE: Thomas Tuchel reveals Morgan Gibbs-White's private reaction to latest England snubREAD MORE: Thomas Tuchel reveals private talks with Marcus Rashford and Phil Foden after public criticism
“He left camp. He has a huge bruise around the hip region and was it so painful he couldn't even walk properly. He needs some time to heal and to get better. That's why he left camp. It’s a shame because he had a good chance to start, and I'm sad that he is now out.
“He was so happy to play and get some minutes for us. He had a red card, then he got sick - he came a bit late into camp - and gets his minutes and gets straightaway injured.
“I’m sad for him but we cannot change it, and I think he still needs a couple of days rest, so he's with his family now to get the rest and we find other solutions.”
Anthony Gordon
Anthony Gordon was helped off the pitch vs Albania(Image: Getty Images)
What side should Tuchel name vs Latvia? Share your thoughts in the comments below
Tuchel has already hinted that there could be changes against Latvia, albeit none of those will be from a performance point of view. Asked if he would be tempted to rotate, he replied: "Yes and no.
“We have reasons to let all of them play again and say ‘let’s do better’, but we also have reports from the physical department of some concerns. So let’s see. It’s only the second day after the match and we need to be cautious.
“Maybe it will be a mix between both. We have two or three players who felt their legs after the match but let’s see. We have quite some time.”
Join our new WhatsApp communityand receive your daily dose of Mirror Football content. We also treat our community members to special offers, promotions, and adverts from us and our partners. If you don't like our community, you can check out any time you like. If you're curious, you can read ourPrivacy Notice.