(Football news) The 2022 FIFA World Cup is just around the corner. The mega tournament is in December which means that players will come after playing half a season with their clubs. There is not much of a break before or after the competition which risks injuries. A number of players including Diogo Jota, Marco Reus, Paul Pogba and N'Golo Kante will be missing the World Cup due to injuries. There are also several players who are coming into the World Cup and aren't fully fit. Argentina coach Lionel Scaloni said “There’s a possibility that our 26 man list for the World Cup could change. There are players who are not 100% well. We want to be cautious. We want to see their evolution”. That is also the case with several other nations as well. Here are players who are coming into the World Cup with fitness issues:
5. Sadio Mane-
Sadio Mane has had a bumpy start to his career at Bayern Munich after being so successful at Liverpool. The forward has definitely not been firing on all cylinders despite the fact that he has 9 goals and 4 assists in all competitions this season. In the 2nd last game before the break against Werder Bremen, the Senegal talisman was taken off after 17 minutes due to an injury. A half-fit Mane was always going to make the World Cup squad because he is their best player by a country mile and that is exactly what happened. Mane will miss his team's "first games" at the World Cup, according to a Senegal football federation board member. He will definitely be an important part of the dressing room and could be useful in the later stages if Senegal go through.
4. Paulo Dybala-
Paulo Dybala made a move from Juventus to Roma in summer and was doing very well. However on the 10th of October against Leece, Dybala had to be taken off due to a hamstring injury. He was still included in the Argentina squad and then returned for Roma against Torino last week. Even though the Argentine is fit enough to be in the squad, he is still not 100%. Dybala doesn't usually start for Argentina and comes off the bench, it will be very risky to use him especially since he has his whole career in front of him.
3. Raphael Varane
Varane's Manchester United career has been hampered with injuries. In the one and a half season he has been a Red Devil, the Frenchman has missed 25 games out of which 8 were this season. His last game was on 23rd October against Chelsea during which he was taken off due to injury. Didier Deschamps has still called him up for the World Cup and if Varane is fully fit then he will definitely be a starter. In France's last World Cup winning campaign, Varane played every minute but that is unlikely this time due to fitness. France have already lost Pogba and Kante who were ruled out way before the tournament while Presnel Kimpembe and Christopher Nkunku were ruled out after being called up. The last thing Deschamps needs is an injury to Varane.
2. Heung-Min Son
Son had an incredible season last year where he won the Premier League golden boot but this season there have been struggles. In the must win UCL game against Marseille on 2nd November, the forward injured his eye and didn't take part in the 3 games since. Son will be hoping that the injury doesn't affect his World Cup campaign because he is one player who has the capability to take them far in this tournament.
1.Karim Benzema
The absence of Nkunku, Pogba, Kante, Kimpembe and question marks over Varane's fitness are still okay but Karim Benzema's fitness is Deschamps biggest fear. After winning the Ballon d'or for his performances last season, Benzema has been struggling with injuries. This season he has missed 9 matches and despite being called up to the national team, he hasn't taken part in full team training yet. There is a chance that he might not be fit enough to start the first game against Australia.
Also read: Eden Hazard's unfortunate situation at Real Madrid and what's next?
