Colombia Talisman Tells Club Teammate That World Cup Injury Is 'Mild' Ahead of England Clash
Colombia midfielder James Rodríguez only suffered a 'mild' injury against Senegal last week, opening up the possibility that the 26-year-old will feature against England in the last 16 of the World Cup on Tuesday, according to reports.
James limped off after just 30 minutes at the Samara Arena, where a goal from Barcelona defender Yerry Mina booked their place in the knockout stages of the World Cup along with Japan.
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It had first been reported that the midfielder would be forced to miss their match against England on Tuesday, but Bayern Munich teammate Arturo Vidal has claimed that James' injury is not as serious as first thought.
"It's something slight," Vidal said after a conversation with his club teammate, quoted by Colombian outlet Caracol.
James has made three appearances at the World Cup, claiming two assists in Colombia's 3-0 win over Poland, but the former Real Madrid star has only completed 90 minutes once at the tournament this summer.
With England set to face Colombia at the Spartak Stadium on Tuesday, news surrounding James' potential injury has been constantly in the headlines. But the Bayern Munich loanee has also been attracting media attention ahead of a potential move to the Premier League.
It has been suggested that the Colombia international won't move to Bavaria permanently after getting off on the wrong foot with Bayern's new manager, Niko Kovač. Instead, James will look to move to England, where Arsenal and Chelsea are interested in signing the midfielder this summer.
