March 17 – Football may be in global lockdown and professional leagues suspended but for some clubs, the absence of competitive games is buying crucial time for injured stars to get fit again without missing any more action.
Tottenham’s England captain Harry Kane hasn’t played since New Year’s Day having ruptured a tendon in his thigh and had hoped to return around the middle of April while the club’s second most important player Son Heung-min is now almost fit again.
Manchester United’s Paul Pogba last played on Boxing Day while 19-goal leading scorer Marcus Rashford, who has been out since mid-January, was a potential doubt for England’s Euro 2020 campaign if it had been played this summer.
If the English domestic season were to resume in a few months’ time, the return of such players would be a huge boost to their clubs. Likewise Liverpool’s No 1 goalkeeper Alison while the same applies in Spain to Real Madrid’s Belgian midfield star Eden Hazard, who fractured his ankle last month and wasn’t due to play again this season, most likely missing Euro 2020 in the process. Barcelona, meanwhile, could have Luis Suarez and Ousmane Dembele back from injury if and when the La Liga season resumes.
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