Tottenham Hotspur’s Nigerian-born midfielder, Bamidele Alli has been declared a big doubt for England’s next match at the World Cup, as The Three Lions’ manager, Gareth Southgate says the former MK Dons lad is not fully fit.
Ahead of Saturday’s match, Southgate said Alli has only a “slim chance” of playing, as he did not train with the squad in Zelenogorsk on Friday morning, but continued recovery work on his own, following a thigh injury he sustained in the win over Tunisia.
Alli was not part of the line-up leaked to reporters from a note held by assistant manager Steve Holland this week.
It showed a plan to play in a 3-5-2 formation against Panama, with Ruben Loftus-Cheek in place of Alli in The Lions’ midfield.
Marcus Rashford’s name, rather than Raheem Sterling, was also pictured on the note playing in the front two alongside captain Harry Kane.
England trained behind closed doors on Friday ahead of departing to Nizhny Novgorod, as Southgate carried out specifics on tactics and shape to prepare for Panama in the session.
