Injured England midfielder Steven Gerrard has emerged as a fitness concern for Saturday’s World Cup opener against Paraguay, describing himself as only ”50-50” for the match.
The in-form Liverpool star has been forced to sit out training over the past two days after complaining of a sore back caused by a bang on the hip, raising fears he could miss England’s opening Group B match.
But a relaxed Gerrard allayed concerns he could face more World Cup heartache, four years after being ruled out of the 2002 finals with injury.
”Overall I’ve got a good chance of playing on Saturday,” Gerrard said Thursday. ”I’ve just got to keep working on it but I’ve got a good chance.
”As we speak now, it’s probably 50-50, but if it keeps improving the way it has done over the past 24 hours I’ll be there.”
Gerrard was plagued by muscular injuries during his early career, but has enjoyed long periods of sustained fitness in recent seasons.
”I’ve had no back problems for years. I don’t now how it will respond between now and the game but it has improved a lot over the last 24 hours.
”And if it keeps going like that I’ll be ready for Saturday.” — AFP
