Chattanooga [US], June 7 (ANI): Spain’s preparations for the FIFA World Cup received a jolt, with Barcelona star Gavi hitting the veteran Manchester City midfielder Rodri with an aggressive tackle that left him on the turf with a lot of pain.
As per Goal.com, the Luis de la Fuente-managed side has run into trouble while fine-tuning their preparations in the US city of Chattanooga ahead of the FIFA World Cup opener against Cape Verde on June 15. But the chill, serene and fun preparations were shattered when Gavi produced a reckless tackle during a training session.
The Barcelona midfielder, known for his aggression and refusal to pull out of the possibility of duels, treated the training session with the same intensity as a World Cup match-up. A disaster struck as he mistimed a challenge for the ball, hitting his studs on Rodri’s ankle.
The midfielder fell to the ground, clutching his leg in pain while his teammates looked at him with concern. With just over a week left for the campaign opener, Rodri being on the grass holding his ankle sent the coaching staff in shock, with the footballer looking back frustratingly at Gavi as the latter processed the impact of his glow.
Gavi, realising the severity of his tackle, apologised quickly and medical staff attended to the City star. While the images from the session appeared alarming, the midfielder managed to regain his footing and finished the session with a minor limp. The fears of him missing the tournament seem to have subsided by now.
There were some positive signs out of the training session as Lamine Yamal and Nico Williams, both having struggled with injuries, continued doing their rehab, as per Cadena SER.
The duo participated in the early stages of the workout, including warm-up and rondos but were kept away from intense contract drills. It would be interesting to see if they play the campaign opener, having been out of action for over a month. Neither of these two is expected to play against Peru in Puebla, Mexico. (ANI)
Related reading
