Thigh injury prevents England's Dele Alli from training
ByReuters
Updated 21/06/2018 at 10:41 GMT
England attacking midfielder Dele Alli missed team training on Thursday as he bids to recover from a thigh injury in time for the side's second World Cup Group G encounter against Panama.
Dele Alli of England in action during the 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia group G match between Tunisia and England at Volgograd Arena on June 18, 2018 in Volgograd, Russia
Image credit: Getty Images
The Tottenham player picked up the knock during the 2-1 win over Tunisia on Monday with Alli tweeting that 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.
England take on Panama in Nizhny Novgorod on Sunday before completing the pool phase against Belgium in Kaliningrad next Thursday.
The midfielder picked up the injury before half-time during England’s opener but played on until the 80th minute, when he was replaced by Chelsea man Ruben Loftus-Cheek.
The 22-year-old Loftus-Cheek, who spent last season on loan at Crystal Palace, impressed during his brief cameo and is expected to fill in for Alli, should the Tottenham man fail to recover in time.
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
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