For Paulo Dybala, the joy of scoring a penalty quickly turned to the anxiety of potentially missing out on the World Cup.
As the Argentine striker returned to celebrate scoring a spot-kick return for Roma against Lecce in Serie A on Sunday, he suddenly grimaced, clutched his left thigh and jumped as team-mates attacked him.
Dybala limped off the pitch and appeared to have tears in his eyes as he sat on the bench, likely thinking about the upcoming World Cup.
“I will say that it does not look good, instead of saying that it looks bad”, Roma coach Jos? Mourinho said immediately after his team’s 2-1 win. “Unfortunately, it probably seems closer to bad than not good.”
Mourinho was then asked if Roma fans would see Dybala before the end of the year.
“I’m not a doctor and I haven’t talked to the doctor,” he said, “but, from experience and from what I understand from talking to Paulo, it’s difficult.”
Roma’s last game before Serie A is suspended for the World Cup is on November 13, a week before the tournament kicks off in Qatar. Argentina plays its first match on November 22, against Saudi Arabia.
The results of a scan, scheduled for Tuesday, will determine whether Dybala’s World Cup dream is still alive, but it is clearly a major concern for Argentina and the 28-year-old forward, who has had a long list of injuries in his career.
Indeed, it was part of the reason Juventus allowed Dybala to leave as a free agent in June. Dybala has suffered 11 dismissals over the past two years, missing a total of 36 games for his club.
It is not his first injury at Roma either, having missed the match against Atalanta last month with a muscle problem. However, he joined the Argentina squad soon after for friendlies against Honduras and Jamaica, but was forced to watch from the stands, with coach Lionel Scaloni saying: “I decided not to risk him. I need it to a much higher level.”
However, Argentina have a wealth of attacking options with the likes of Lionel Messi, Lautaro Mart?nez, Papu Gomez and Joaqu?n Correa – although Messi also has a slight injury – and Scaloni is unlikely to call on Dybala if he is not . sure that the front is completely suitable.
Scaloni left Dybala out of last year’s Copa America-winning squad precisely because of injury and fitness concerns, and the Roma forward will be hoping history doesn’t repeat itself.
Concern for KanteN’Golo Kante was integral in France’s run to the World Cup trophy in Russia four years ago. He may be fighting to be there for the title defense.
The central midfielder has not played since August 14 when he picked up a hamstring problem while on Premier League duty with Chelsea. It is the latest in a series of injury problems that have plagued Kante in recent years.
Chelsea boss Graham Potter said on Monday that Kante suffered a new training setback in his battle to shake off the injury and is set for another scan.
“We have to wait and see his rate and go from there,” Potter said.
See also
The Alexander-Arnold injuryIt was already questionable whether Trent Alexander-Arnold would make England’s World Cup squad.
An injury sustained at the weekend while playing for Liverpool is likely to further damage his chances.
Alexander-Arnold sat out the second half of Sunday’s 3-2 Premier League defeat to Arsenal after injuring his ankle while challenging Gabriel Martinelli just before half-time.
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said Alexander-Arnold’s ankle was swollen and the right-back would undergo a scan.
A spell on the sidelines is likely for Alexander-Arnold, just as he needs to make some appearances to impress England boss Gareth Southgate.
Southgate appears to prefer more solid right-backs in defence, meaning Alexander-Arnold – whose attacking qualities have far outweighed his defensive ones for Liverpool in recent years – is the fourth-choice right-back for his place behind Kyle Walker, Reece James and Kieran. Trippier.
Walker is facing a race against time to prepare for the World Cup after undergoing surgery last week on a groin injury. Fortunately for Southgate, right-back is an area where he could pick up an injury or two.___By DANIELLA MATAR
AP Sports Writer
