FIFA World Cup football is an unforgettable occasion as it brings together a galaxy of stars from across the continents. And soccer fans throughout the world get to relish various clashes involving the giants of the game during the tournament. Unfortunately, some of the big names such as Mohammad Salah, Erling Haaland and Luis Diaz will not be boarding the plane to Qatar as their national teams have not made the cut for this year’s soccer carnival. To add to the disappointment, there could be more stars to miss out on the event due to injuries. So, who are they?
Paul Pogba (France)
The France superstar disturbed his meniscus during the US sojourn of Juventus. He is yet to feature in any game post injury and this does not augur well for a prestigious tournament like the world cup. He might recover in time, but with no match practice, would be able to produce his best in the quadrennial event in Qatar? So right now, Pogba supporters can only keep their fingers crossed and hope for the best.
Paulo Dybala (Argentina)
He has been in red-hot form this season for AS Roma by scoring 7 goals in 11 outings. But he has also picked up an injury recently which has put a question mark on his participation in this year’s world cup. According to reports, he has slightly damaged one of his Quadricep muscles and this would make him miss action for four to six weeks. Hence, the question is, with the Qatar World Cup just a few weeks away can Dybala regain full fitness in time to take part in the event?
Angel Di Maria (Argentina)
Argentina got yet another shock when Angel Di Maria endangered his participation in the world cup due to a muscular strain. He is an important cog in the wheel of his national team and his presence is significant for talismanic Lionel Messi to execute the plans properly. However, his injury has cropped up at the worst possible time for his national team with the marquee event just around the corner. Currently, he needs to go through a series of tests to ascertain the extent of damage caused to him and the Argentinian fans will not sleep easy till the true picture emerges.
Reece James (England)
He sustained a knee injury during Chelsea’s match against AC Milan and Gareth Southgate is having sleepless nights over the issue. For the manager of the England team, this injury could not have been more inopportune as he was sweating profusely over the fitness of a couple of others as well. Though Chelsea’s new manager Graham Potter was optimistic about James recovering in another 24-48 hours, the right back’s participation in the marquee event is still shrouded in mystery.
