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A Socceroos star is under a major injury cloud as Graham Arnold awaits scans with bated breath, but he isn’t the only one who could watch the World Cup from the treatment table.
And a serious favourite in Qatar had a desperate request rejected out of hand by several Premier League clubs.
Catch up on all of the latest news in the World Cup Watch!
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ARNIE, AUSSIES ANXIOUSLY AWAIT BOYLE’S SCAN RESULTS
Socceroos boss Graham Arnold is anxiously awaiting Martin Boyle’s scan results that could determine his World Cup fate after suffering a knee injury in Hibernian’s 3-0 win over St Mirren on Sunday.
Boyle scored one of Hibs’ three with a penalty in first-half stoppage time, but went down early in the second half and was subbed off in the 54th minute.
Speaking after the match, Hibs boss Lee Johnson held out hope Boyle would be OK but conceded missing out on the World Cup would be “difficult psychologically for him”.
“I’m praying it’s not too bad,” Johnson said.
“We’re hoping the pain was contact to the nerve, because it went numb. That was what ended in him coming off, but I’m lighting a candle for him hoping he’s all right.
“It’s going to be difficult for him psychologically. But I have to say his professionalism has been outstanding, he has never shirked anything in training or games. That’s why he deserves to go to the World Cup, for that consistency.”
The results of Boyle’s scan are expected to come through on Friday as Arnold and Aussie football fans wait with bated breath to see if the talismanic winger will be fit for Qatar.
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SON SET FOR SURGERY … BUT HE COULD STILL MAKE QATAR TRIP
Tottenham on Wednesday said forward Son Heung-min will undergo surgery on a fracture around his left eye, putting the South Korean star’s World Cup at risk.
Son was forced off during the first half of Spurs’ 2-1 win over Marseille on Tuesday that secured their place in the last 16 of the Champions League.
“We can confirm that Heung-Min Son will undergo surgery to stabilise a fracture around his left eye,” Tottenham said in a statement.
“Following surgery, Son will commence rehabilitation with our medical staff and we shall update supporters further in due course.” The Premier League club gave no date for his return, but he faces a race against time to be fit for South Korea’s opening match of the World Cup against Uruguay on November 24.
Son is his country’s captain and a national icon thanks to his exploits for both club and country.
The 30-year-old has scored 35 goals in 106 international appearances and won gold at the Asian Games in 2018, a medal which secured him an exemption from national service.
South Korea also face Portugal and Ghana in Group H.
Son seems certain to miss Tottenham’s Premier League clash with Liverpool on Sunday.
Antonio Conte’s men also face Nottingham Forest in the League Cup and Leeds before club football breaks for the World Cup.
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ARGENTINA’S DESPERATE PL PLEA REJECTED
With the Premier League pausing on November 13, exactly one week before the World Cup begins, nations will hope the respective club managers will be kind and give Qatar-bound players a rest.
Under official FIFA rules, clubs don’t have to release players until November 14.
Yet it didn’t stop the Argentinian FA from putting in a request to a handful of Premier League clubs in the hopes they would either release players early or have them rested for the final fixtures before the league takes a mid-season break.
However, that request has reportedly been knocked back as Premier League outfits look to enter the break with some form.
In Argentina’s recent 49-man preliminary squad that will be culled to 26, eight players from the Premier League made the cut: Emi Martinez, Cristian Romero, Lisandro Martinez, Marcos Senesi, Emi Buendia, Alexis Mac Allister, Julian Alvarez and Alejandro Garnacho.
Of that group, Senesi, Buendia and Garnacho are the most likely to miss the final cut.
But with Argentina one of the tournament favourites, Scaloni will be lighting several candles in the hopes his troops make it to Qatar fully fit.
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ELSEWHERE ACROSS THE NATIONS …
Bukayo Saka could feature for Arsenal as early as Thursday’s Europa League clash with FC Zurich after Mikel Arteta allayed fears of a serious injury for the England winger.
Saka limped off early in the Gunners’ 5-0 win over Nottingham Forest on Sunday after taking a blow to his ankle.
That sparked concern for Saka’s World Cup chances with the tournament to kick off in Qatar in little over three weeks.
However, Arteta said Saka has returned to training and is available for selection as his side aim to secure top spot in Europa League Group A and a place in the last 16.
“Bukayo just missed one or two (training sessions) and he was fine today,” said Arteta at his pre-match press conference on Thursday.
“We’re using our brains and our common sense, but obviously he had a kick. “He was uncomfortable with it, we made the decision to get him off and now he’s feeling fine.”
It’s not all good news for England though, as Ben Chilwell appeared to suffer a hamstring injury in Chelsea’s win over Dinamo Zagreb.
Chilwell limped off late in the match and BT Sport pundit Glenn Hoddle had grave fears for the defender.
“That looks like a nasty one, I don’t understand how they haven’t carried him off because any weight-bearing and he’s got the other leg,” Hoddle said.
“But at the end of the day that’s such a blow for Chilwell, he’s had such a bad, bad knee injury and he’s probably when you think about it rehabbing in a way, I know he’s back playing, but you normally get a compensation on the other side of your body when you come back after a long injury, but it’s such a blow. Gutted for him.”
There’s also unfortunate news for Canadian defender Scott Kennedy, who misses out on his nation’s first World Cup appearance in 36 years after sustaining a shoulder injury for second-tier German outfit Jahn Regensburg.
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