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#3 Joe Gomez (England)
Joe Gomez suffered a serious knee injury in November, which has seemingly ruled him out for the rest of the season. The 23-year-old central defender has gradually cemented his place in the Liverpool and England starting XIs over the last two years and his absence has been clearly felt by the former while the latter will also be light in the defensive department if he does not recover in time.
Gomez ruptured his ACL while on international duty with The Three Lions in November and is yet to resume even light training. Liverpool boss spoke at a press conference recently and gave an update on his status. He said:
“Joe Gomez is actually in a pretty good place, but far away from being back, so he walks round, looks completely normal, is not yet out on the pitch running, or even out of the gym. It’s just a really tough injury as well."
“Will he be available this season? When does the season end, May? It will be close at least I would say. I don’t expect ... well, I would be positive surprised if he would be back this season, to be honest.”
# Axel Witsel (Belgium)
One of the latest players to be added on the casualty list for EURO 2021 is Belgium midfielder Axel Witsel. The 32-year-old suffered a tear in his Achilles tendon and is yet to be given a return date.
With 110 caps for the national side, he is one of the senior-most players in their ranks and his absence would be a huge blow to their preparations for the continental tournament.
Belgium coach Roberto Martínez expressed his concern on the injury and subsequent surgery, which will keep Witsel out of action anywhere between four to seven months. He said:
“Injuries are part of football but it is really sad it is such a serious injury."
“We will wait until the very last second to try and pick Axel for our European Championship squad. Axel always has a huge impact on and off the field on the group. With his 110 caps, he is important. I’m therefore not ruling him out of the European Championship.”
#1 Virgil Van Dijk (Netherlands)
One of the biggest names who could miss EURO 2021 is Liverpool and Netherlands defender Virgil Van Dijk. The Dutchman has been sidelined since October with an ACL injury.
He has continued his recoveries with light gym sessions and though DailyStar has claimed that the player will be back by April, after a serious injury like ACL, it is expected that the player will be eased into the starting XI.
The Reds star is currently one of the best players in his position in the world and when fit, proves to be a game-changer. Hopefully, we should be able to see him back in action by June, but as things stand, he could miss the EURO 2021 due to injury.
Also See: Top 5 Premier League players with most assists in a single season
