France sweating on key midfielder’s fitness ahead of England clash
Published:Whilst France’s 2-0 friendly success over Serbia was an encouraging prelude to Euro 2012, the ankle injury sustained by Yann M’Vila in the match was certainly not.
The Rennes midfielder, a summer transfer target for Arsenal, hobbled off just four minutes into Thursday’s match, after a collision with Dusan Tasic in the early stages.
M’Vila has become a key component in Laurent Blanc’s side, and the France coach has now been left sweating on the fitness of the 21-year-old anchorman ahead of the tournament.
Whilst the extent of the injury currently remains unknown, it was initially feared to have the potential to see M’Vila miss the championships in their entirety.
The player was seen in tears on the bench during the second half of last night’s match, in the knowledge that he has less than a fortnight to recover in time for France’s Euro 2012 opener with England.
However, despite a need for crutches, the player is confident that his injury may not be as serious as first thought, and remains hopeful that he will play some part in the tournament.
“We will let things run their course, and hopefully I’ll be ready for June 11, God willing. I’m able to put my foot down on the floor, but I still have to walk with crutches, just in case,” he told L’Equipe.
“There is time to heal before the Euros.”
His manager Blanc will take heart from his side’s performance in the absence of his midfield lynchpin meanwhile, as France went on to record a comfortable 2-0 victory with goals from Franck Ribery and Florent Malouda.
That triumph ensured the French are now 20 consecutive games unbeaten, and entering Poland and Ukraine in that sort of form, some punters may be tempted to get behind Blanc’s men at 11/1 to win the tournament.
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