The Socceroos star striker Mohamed Touré was absent from training on Wednesday, three days out from Australia’s World Cup Group D match against Turkey. The forward missed the session at the team’s training base in Oakland, though he was present for the team photo. Media were told that Touré, who has a history of muscle injuries, is expected to train on Thursday (Friday AEST).
Concerns over forward depth
Touré’s absence highlighted the vulnerability of a squad thin on specialist attacking options. Fullback Jordy Bos admitted he did not initially realise Touré was missing until midway through the session but stressed the importance of the Norwich forward. “We have other players as well that can also play striker, but to have Mo is really nice for us,” Bos said.
Defender Milos Degenek said he did not notice Touré’s absence at all, explaining that the session was split between defenders and forwards. When told by Socceroos staff that Touré was expected to train on Friday, Degenek brushed off concerns: “You’ll see him tomorrow. I’m sure he’ll be more than happy to speak to you guys.”
Touré’s injury history
The 22-year-old is tipped to start as the lone striker in Tony Popovic’s favoured system. Touré earned his place after a strong season in England’s Championship, scoring nine goals in 11 league appearances. However, he missed more than a month due to a groin injury suffered in February. He said on Wednesday that he has recently adopted a training regimen focused on injury prevention. “When I went to Europe, some of those injuries followed along and I re-injured them and re-injured them. I feel like I had to do something, and I had to change something or they would have kept occurring, recurring,” he explained.
Backup options limited
If Touré is unable to play, the Socceroos would be short in an area where the squad is already thin. The only other specialist striker in the squad, Tete Yengi, scored against Switzerland on the weekend but it was his first appearance for the national team. Mat Leckie has played more in midfield in recent years, while Nishan Velupillay and Nestory Irankunda, normally wingers or creative midfielders, could be called upon to play up front.
Australia can still bring in an injury replacement for Touré if a serious injury is suffered no less than 24 hours before the first match on Saturday against Turkey.
