England boss Gareth Southgate will be desperately hoping that his squad steer clear of injuries in Russia this summer, but he may have a headache before a ball is even kicked.
The Three Lions get their tournament underway against Tunisia on Monday, while they will also face Panama and Belgium in Group G as they look to advance to the knockout stage.
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To do that, Southgate will want all of his options available to him, but as reported by The Guardian, Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford might be a doubt for the opener after he suffered a ‘slight knock’ in training.
Given the squad flew out to Russia on Tuesday, it’s natural that Rashford will be reassessed once they’ve touched down at their camp to paint a clearer picture of his availability for the first game.
Nevertheless, England boast several options in that department and so Southgate will feel confident in his squad depth to cope with any minor setbacks suffered along the way and so Rashford’s fitness shouldn’t be a major concern at this point.
However, with his pace, movement and eye for goal, he could be a pivotal figure for England this summer and so it will be hoped within the camp that he can recover for the Tunisia game, or at least will avoid any further issues beyond that game.
Should he be ruled out, Southgate will have the likes of Raheem Sterling, Jesse Lingard, Danny Welbeck and Jamie Vardy all at his disposal to potentially pair up with Harry Kane in the attacking third.