England have suffered a potentially huge blow ahead of the World Cup quarter-final match against Norway
England have been dealt a major setback ahead of their crucial quarter-final clash with Norway after midfield star Declan Rice was struck down by illness.
The Arsenal midfielder, who has already been managing hamstring and lower back problems, has now been hit by a bug that has forced him to miss training for a second consecutive day.
According to reports, England’s medical staff have taken immediate precautions by isolating Rice from the rest of the squad in a bid to prevent the illness from spreading through the camp.
Despite the concern, sources close to the Three Lions insist they are confident the situation is under control and that the illness has been contained.
Rice’s absence comes at a crucial time as England prepare for their highly anticipated quarter-final showdown with Norway in Miami.
Interestingly, England are not the only team battling illness ahead of the encounter.
Norway have also been dealing with sickness in their camp, with goalkeeper Orjan Nyland confirming reports that several members of the squad have been unwell. The shot-stopper even revealed that the team’s doctor has been “very busy” as players continue to recover.
Two Norwegian players have already missed matches due to illness, while head coach Ståle Solbakken raised further concern after repeatedly coughing during a recent press conference.
Reports have also suggested that Norway’s celebrations following their dramatic 2-1 victory over Brazil may not have helped matters, with the illness casting a shadow over both teams ahead of what promises to be a thrilling quarter-final encounter.
Meanwhile, Nico O’Reilly says going into England’s World Cup quarter-final with Norway on a yellow card will not affect him.
O’Reilly is one of four players walking a suspension tightrope, with Harry Kane, Jude Bellingham and Declan Rice also on a booking.
If any of them receive a yellow card against the Scandinavians on Saturday they will miss the semi-final should England progress, but the 21-year-old says it will not come into his thinking.
“I will approach it the same as every other game,” he said. “Of course, there’s these risks. If we win and get a yellow card I’d miss the next game, but I’m not focused on that.
“I’m focused on playing my game and doing what I need to do.
“(Me and the others have) not spoken about it.
“It’s not really a discussion that we needed to have, but we’ve all played on yellow cards before.”
