Daily Times

REPINO: England attacking midfielder Dele Alli missed training on Thursday as he bids to recover from a thigh injury for the side’s second World Cup Group G game against Panama. The Tottenham Hotspur player picked up the knock during the 2-1 win over Tunisia on Monday and Alli said he was working to get back to full fitness. “Frustrating to have picked up a slight injury on Monday. Will do everything in my power to get back to full fitness asap,” he wrote on Twitter. England face Panama in Nizhny Novgorod on Sunday before completing the pool phase against Belgium in Kaliningrad next Thursday. Should Alli not recover in time then Ruben Loftus-Cheek, who impressed as a late substitute against Tunisia could be in line for a starting place. Other options could be Fabian Delph, in a more orthodox midfield role, or Marcus Rashford, who also made an impact as a substitute in Volgograd and would give the side a more offensive balance. England manager Gareth Southgate was on the field for the session and not wearing a sling after dislocating his shoulder. Southgate suffered the injury while out running on Wednesday and wore a sling at a team meeting later that day. The England boss was treated at a nearby hospital under the supervision of team doctor Rob Chakraverty.

Published in Daily Times, June 22^nd 2018.