Football: Chilwell expected to miss World Cup with hamstring injury, while Son faces agonising wait
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Chelsea's Ben Chilwell is down injured as Mason Mount looks on during the Champions League game against Zagreb.
PHOTO: ACTION IMAGES VIA REUTERS
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England and Chelsea fullback Ben Chilwell is expected to miss the World Cup in Qatar after scans showed he had “significant” damage to his hamstring, the English Premier League club said on Saturday.
South Korean superstar Son Heung-min, meanwhile, has undergone successful surgery following a facial injury,
The Tottenham Hotspur forward sustained the nasty injury – reportedly multiple fractures to his eye socket – during a Champions League win over Marseille this week.
Stillwell had pulled up in stoppage time of Chelsea’s 2-1 Champions League win over Dinamo Zagreb
The 25-year-old grabbed the back of his left thigh after making a sprint, falling to the ground before being helped from the field by Chelsea’s medical staff, and was pictured leaving Stamford Bridge on crutches.
“Results show that Ben has suffered a significant injury and the defender is unfortunately expected to miss the World Cup,” Chelsea said in a statement.
“Ben will now begin a rehabilitation programme with the club’s medical department.”
Chilwell, who was a part of England’s Euro 2020 squad, missed a chunk of last season due to a ruptured cruciate ligament but had returned to Chelsea’s first team fold this season with 13 appearances in all competitions.
The news comes as another blow to England with the team also set to miss the services of Chelsea’s Reece James, who was ruled out for eight weeks due to a knee injury he picked up in their game against AC Milan.
England are also sweating on the fitness of Manchester City duo Kyle Walker and Kalvin Phillips.
England kick off their World Cup campaign against Iran on Nov 21.
As for Son, worried South Korean fans have been waiting nervously for updates on his condition, fearing their World Cup would be ruined without the talismanic national captain.
“We’ve been informed by Spurs that the surgery went well and was successful,” a Korea Football Association (KFA) official told AFP.
“We think it’s not the time to talk about Son’s status for the World Cup. We are not saying it’s impossible, we are just saying now is not the time to discuss.”
Worried South Korean fans have been waiting nervously for updates on Son Heung-min’s condition.
PHOTO: REUTERS
Son’s World Cup fate dominated the sports pages of South Korean newspapers on Friday, including one that featured a detailed diagram of a human skull to show where he was injured.
South Korea will begin their campaign in Qatar against Uruguay on Nov 24, also facing Ghana and Portugal in Group H.
Son, who shared last season’s Premier League golden boot with Liverpool’s Mohamed Salah, has a huge fan base in South Korea.
He is considered critical to his side’s chances of making it to the knockout phase in Qatar, having scored 35 goals in 104 internationals – including nine in his last 14.
Though he is yet to lift a trophy at club level, he led South Korea to gold at the 2018 Asian Games. REUTERS, AFP
