Burkina Faso
Chinese Taipei
Indonesia
Nigeria

England0 - 1Brazil

sportsmole.co.uk, 23 March 2024, 23:16
Premier League champions Manchester City have been handed an alarming injury scare with Kyle Walker ahead of their top-of-the-table showdown with Arsenal on March 31.

The right-back captained England in their friendly encounter with Brazil at Wembley on Saturday evening, where Endrick's 80th-minute strike propelled the Selecao to a 1-0 victory.

However, Walker had already been off the field for over an hour by the time that the Real Madrid-bound teenager settled the tie, having sustained an injury in the first 20 minutes of the match.

The 33-year-old had sprinted back to intercept Vinicius Junior's goal-bound strike in the 12th minute, just a couple of moments before dropping to the turf with an apparent hamstring concern.

Walker initially tried to play through the pain, but he ultimately had to call it quits a few minutes later and was substituted for Aston Villa's Ezri Konsa, making his senior debut for his country.

England head coach Gareth Southgate was inevitably asked about the nature of Walker's injury after the game, and while he was still none the wiser, he admitted that the defender is not the sort of player to come off unless something is wrong.

"We don't know yet. He is feeling something but he is not a player who is injured very often so he's not quite certain what it is. So it is something we have to assess in the coming days," Southgate told the media.

While England wait to learn whether Walker will be available for Tuesday's showdown with Belgium at Wembley, his early substitution is sure to cause concern among Man City fans for the return of domestic football next weekend.

The former Tottenham Hotspur man's participation in the visit of Arsenal on Easter Sunday has now been plunged into doubt owing to his early withdrawal on Saturday, where he donned the captain's armband for England in Harry Kane's absence.

After rejecting the chance to move to Bayern Munich in the summer transfer window, Walker has been an integral figure once again for Pep Guardiola this season, setting up three goals in 38 games in all tournaments.

Following Guardiola's blunt admission last year that Walker could not play as a right-back in his new system, the 33-year-old has risen to the challenge to start 25 Premier League games for the Citizens this season.

Should Walker indeed miss the visit of league leaders Arsenal on March 31, either Rico Lewis or John Stones could be asked to fill in at right-back for Man City, who already have Ederson, Kevin De Bruyne and Jack Grealish in the treatment room.

Reports earlier this month claimed that Ederson could be missing for up to four weeks with the knee issue he picked up against Liverpool, although Guardiola has now expressed hope that his number one will make a rapid recovery in time to face Arsenal.

Meanwhile, De Bruyne pulled out of the Belgium squad for March's international fixtures due to a groin injury, but the playmaker's concern is not expected to impact his availability for next Sunday's blockbuster showdown.

Man City sit two places and one point behind Arsenal in the Premier League table and also have a deficit of one to make up to second-placed Liverpool, who are below the Gunners on goal difference.

Top News

27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Arsenal are leading the race ahead of both Manchester City and Manchester United to sign Brighton & Hove Albion attacker Kaoru Mitoma this summer, according to a report. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham United manager David Moyes has insisted that his side did not specifically target any aerial weaknesses in Liverpool's defence during their 2-2 draw at the London Stadium this afternoon. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Rather than a glorious send-off for one of their greatest-ever managers, the story of Jurgen Klopp's final season as Liverpool boss is fast turning into what might have been. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Jarrod Bowen has followed in the footsteps of Geoff Hurst and Paolo Di Canio after scoring in West Ham United's 2-2 draw with Liverpool in the Premier League on Saturday. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Premier League and Serie A-winning head coach Antonio Conte has supposedly agreed a return to management by signing a three-year contract with an Italian giant. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool title hopes suffer huge setback against West Ham United 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Manchester United centre-back Victor Lindelof is reportedly being linked with a transfer away from Old Trafford this summer, with Galatasaray showing apparent interest. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez have been dropped from Liverpool's starting lineup for their Premier League clash with West Ham United at the London Stadium. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur could supposedly make a surprise U-turn on their decision to accept offers for out-of-favour midfielder Giovani Lo Celso this summer. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur could supposedly try to steal a march on their rivals in the race for Genoa's Albert Gudmundsson by proposing a swap deal for the Icelandic striker. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool have reportedly deployed scouts to keep an eye on a prolific Primeira Liga centre-forward also wanted by Arsenal. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Leicester City make the trip to Deepdale to face Preston North End looking for the win that could secure the Championship title. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Promoted together last year, Genoa and Cagliari will both seek points to secure Serie A survival when they meet at Stadio Luigi Ferraris on Monday. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Barcelona boss Xavi must find a solution to Frenkie de Jong's absence for Monday's La Liga contest with Valencia at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern Munich have been holding conversations with Ralf Rangnick regarding the possibility of replacing Thomas Tuchel, according to the club's former president Uli Hoeness. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk On the brink of relinquishing their La Liga crown, Barcelona at least endeavour to salvage some pride when Valencia arrive at Estadi Olimpic Lluis Companys on Monday night. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Chelsea are reportedly unlikely to avoid receiving a points penalty for breaching the Premier League's Profit and Sustainability regulations. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Liverpool midfielder Ryan Gravenberch reportedly has no desire to depart Anfield during the summer transfer window. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk All transfer business is done and dusted for this season, but that doesn't stop clubs from preparing ahead for next season. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk New England vs. Inter Miami (Sunday, 12.30am) In a matchup of worst versus first in the Eastern Conference of Major League Soccer (MLS), the New England Revolution welcome Inter Miami to Gillette Stadium in Foxborough on Saturday. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Kasimpasa vs. Samsunspor (Saturday, 2.00pm) Kasimpasa will be seeking to avoid a third defeat on the bounce as they prepare for the visit of Samsunspor to the Recep Tayyip Erdogan Stadyumu on Saturday. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Bayern vs. Frankfurt (Saturday, 2.30pm) Bayern Munich seek a 13th victory at the Allianz Arena on Saturday when they host Europe-chasing Eintracht Frankfurt in Bundesliga's gameweek 31 action. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Lecce vs. Monza (Saturday, 2.00pm) Back-to-back wins for Lecce in Serie A have put them in an advantageous position to avoid relegation heading into Saturday's gameweek 34 encounter with Monza at Stadio Via del mare. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Las Palmas vs. Girona (Saturday, 1.00pm) Girona will head to an out-of-form Las Palmas outfit in La Liga on Saturday afternoon knowing that a victory would see them move above Barcelona and into second position in the table. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Blackburn vs. Coventry (Saturday, 3.00pm) Looking for the victory that could potentially secure their second-tier status, Blackburn Rovers will welcome Coventry City to Ewood Park for a Championship clash on Saturday afternoon. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk West Ham vs. Liverpool (Saturday, 12.30pm) Reeling from their gut-wrenching derby defeat in midweek, Liverpool will endeavour to reignite their Premier League title hopes when they travel to the London Stadium to face West Ham United on Saturday afternoon. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Two sides who have failed to win their last three games square off in the Primeira Liga as Estoril Praia play host to Famalicao at the Estadio Antonio Coimbra da Mota on Sunday. 27 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk On Sunday, Paris Saint-Germain Women will face domestic rivals Lyon Women in the second leg of the Women's Champions League semi-finals. 26 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Round 31 of the 2023-24 Eredivisie season sees PEC Zwolle and Heracles face off against each other at the MAC3PARK Station on Sunday morning. 26 April 2024 sportsmole.co.uk Tottenham Hotspur are reportedly interested in signing Chelsea midfielder Conor Gallagher at the end of the 2023-24 Premier League season.