DOHA: England’s injury concerns are easing ahead of the World Cup, with Kyle Walker and James Maddison overcoming their previous fitness issues to take part in the team’s first training session in Qatar on Wednesday.
Walker has been recovering from groin surgery needed after getting injured during Manchester City’s 6-3 win over Manchester United in the Premier League on Oct. 2.
Maddison, meanwhile, limped off in the first half of Leicester’s win over West Ham on Saturday because of a right knee problem.
They were at practice at the Al Wakrah Sports Complex, close to the England team’s hotel base for the World Cup, as all 26 members of Gareth Southgate’s squad trained.
Maddison said he had had a “positive scan” and that he had no concerns. He said he had wanted to play at the weekend despite carrying a niggling injury.
“I had a little problem the week before the West Ham game but I wanted to play, I didn’t want to not give a it a go because of the World Cup,” he said.
“That is not the kind of player I am, I wanted to help Leicester.”
Maddison was a surprise inclusion in the squad after being repeatedly overlooked by Southgate despite good form over the past year. He has made only one appearance for England, coming on as a substitute in a European Championship qualifier against Montenegro in 2019.
“I never felt like it (his England chance) had gone,” he said at a news conference. “There were times I felt I was playing well and wasn’t selected but it is about having the right mindset, staying hungry and not thinking it is a closed door.”
Maddison said he missed the call Southgate made to tell him he had made the squad.
“The heart starts beating,” Maddison said. “I had his number saved still, it was all a bit of a blur but once he told me I was in, it was a head-on-the-wall moment, a big deep breath and then I called my parents.
“My dad actually cried.”
England’s World Cup injuries ease as Maddison, Walker train
https://arab.news/zpajr
England’s World Cup injuries ease as Maddison, Walker train
- Walker has been recovering from groin surgery needed after getting injured
- Maddison said he had had a “positive scan” and that he had no concerns
FIA president praises Saudi Arabia boost of Dakar Rally
- Mohammed Ben Sulayem will attend the climax of the 48th edition at the weekend
DUBAI: FIA President Mohammed Ben Sulayem has praised Saudi Arabia for helping the Dakar Rally emerge as one of the world’s top events, and boosting the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship.
Ben Sulayem will attend the 48th edition of the legendary race as it reaches its climax at the weekend.
The opening round of the championship has attracted a record 72 entries. It will also mark the launch of the new FIA Master Drivers’ Championship, and the entry of Defender as a new manufacturer.
Ben Sulayem will be welcomed on Friday by Prince Khalid bin Sultan Al-Abdullah Al-Faisal, chairman of the Saudi Automobile and Motorcycle Federation.
The FIA president, who will speak at the closing ceremony on Saturday evening, said the event “continues to go from strength to strength.”
He added that the race now has a “record numbers of entries, new manufacturers, and ever-increasing competition in the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship, reflecting the continued global growth of motorsport.”
He thanked Prince Khalid and the federation “for hosting another outstanding event and delivering a truly world-class experience for competitors, fans, and all those involved.”
Joining Ben Sulayem on his visit will be Malcolm Wilson, the FIA’s deputy president for sport.
“The 2026 edition of the Dakar Rally continues to showcase both the growth of the FIA World Rally-Raid Championship and the strength of Cross-Country rallying as a whole,” said Wilson.
He added that it was “encouraging to see three manufacturers – Toyota, Dacia and Ford – all increasing their presence,” and welcomed Defender in the Stock category.
