Kane, Rashford, Hazard... A long list of injured footballer raring to come back

Published on: 24 May 2020

The wait is already over for the return of football among Europe's top leagues - the Bundesliga reopened its doors on May 16 for the first time since the beginning of March amid the coronavirus pandemic.

The Premier League, La Liga and Serie A are yet to return dates but football is slowly creeping back into business.

While many of Europe's top stars have been training daily to keep as sharp as possible during this period of uncertainty, others have been using this time to recover from long-term injuries to help give their team one last push when the business end of the season resumes.

Here, Sportsmail has taken a close look at what stars are expected to be fit for duty when play finally gets back underway again...

PREMIER LEAGUE

Harry Kane

When Kane was ruled out with a long-term hamstring injury sustained on New Year's Day, there were fears the Tottenham and England talisman would be ruled out for the whole season. It was almost a certainty, and even the Euros seemed a long way off.

However, the suspension of football in the Premier League has allowed Kane - who did return to individual training in early March prior to the lockdown - to recover from his injury.

However, Jose Mourinho has warned fans not to get too carried away: 'They are recovered from their injuries, so Harry Kane is not injured, Moussa Sissoko is not injured, Steven Bergwijn is not injured, but it is one thing not to be injured, it's another thing to be ready to play football.'

Son Heung-min

When it was confirmed that Son had fractured his arm in February, misery was compounded on Mourinho and Tottenham. Their two star players were out for the season.

However, the enforced break has also worked in Son's favour and he will almost certainly be fit when the Premier League does eventually resume - with plans hoping to get underway again in June.

The South Korean has also used the coronavirus suspension to complete a three-week basic military training course back in his home country.

Marcus Rashford

Just like Kane, there were fears growing that Rashford could also be a huge miss for England during the 2020 Euros - with the Manchester United striker out with a back injury.

Rashford has not played since January 15 after sustaining the injury against Wolves in the third round of the FA Cup, but the England star has been using his time wisely training hard at home.

He remains United's top scorer this season with 19 goals in all competitions and should be back to full fitness when the Premier League returns behind closed doors.

Paul Pogba

The French World Cup winner is also expected to be back when football returns to England after a hugely frustrating season on the sidelines.

Pogba, who continues to be linked with a move away, has been unsettled with persistent ankle injuries this campaign but he could give United a huge boost in their quest for a Champions League spot.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer recently confirmed Pogba and Rashford are expected to be fit for the resumption of the Premier League.

'For them two, this gives them a chance to start on a par with, or even ahead of, other players if or when we get going,' Solskjaer recently told Sky Sports. 'Because they have been focused. Mentally it's easier for them to train hard now because they can see the light at the end of the tunnel.'

Leroy Sane

Sane's season unfortunately never took off after he sustained anterior knee ligament damage against Liverpool in the Community Shield just before the season kicked off.

However, the German international should be fit to feature for Pep Guardiola's Manchester City after the break. The winger had already made his return for the club's Under 23s and was back training with the first team before the coronavirus crisis decimated the football calendar.

Lucas Torreira

The Arsenal midfielder had been ruled out for 10 weeks with a fractured ankle after picking up the injury against Portsmouth in the FA Cup back at the beginning of March.

The Uruguayan was set to miss the remainder of the season but he could have an outside chance of returning ahead of Project Restart.

Arsenal posted a video on Twitter last week of Torreira running freely outside, while looking in good shape. He commented: 'After a long 70 days, I ran again. There is less and less missing. Let's go for more.'

N'Golo Kante

Frank Lampard recently lamented the absence of Kante in the heart of the Chelsea midfield but he shouldn't have to worry too much longer with the ever-reliable French star set to be match fit when football is given the green light.

At the end of February, Kante was ruled out for up to three weeks with an adductor injury after suffering the setback in the 2-0 defeat to top-four rivals United at Stamford Bridge.

Therefore, the suspension of football should have given the former Leicester star plenty of time to return to full fitness.

Tammy Abraham

Chelsea's top marksman Abraham had been struggling with an ankle injury for several games until he was forced onto the sidelines for their last Premier League games against Bournemouth and Everton before football was stopped in its tracks.

Lampard had said he expected Abraham to be back by the end of March but giving an accurate time frame for his recovery was proving difficult.

However, Abraham has now been given the chance to take as long as he needs with Chelsea's pursuit of a Champions League place very much on hold due to the ongoing pandemic.

Christian Pulisic

Pulisic hasn't featured for the Blues since the New Year's Day draw against Brighton and Hove Albion but just before the suspension, Lampard revealed he was close to returning from his freak training injury to his adductor muscle.

Lampard confirmed in March that Pulisic had taken part in a behind-closed-doors game to build his match sharpness, so the coronavirus suspension has given him more than enough time to continue his comeback from home.

Ruben Loftus-Cheek

Loftus-Cheek's long wait for a comeback could soon be over - the England midfielder hasn't featured for the Blues this season after rupturing his Achilles in a friendly last May against New England Revolution.

But he had returned to training before the coronavirus suspension and has been playing in friendlies to build up his fitness, so should be back to give Lampard a boost in the run-in.

LA LIGA

Eden Hazard

Real Madrid manager Zinedine Zidane should have former Chelsea star and Belgian winger Hazard at his disposal when La Liga eventually gets underway again.

Hazard, who joined Madrid in the summer in a deal that could rise to £150million, was pictured completing training with his team-mates as the club returned to business for the first time in two months last weej.

The Belgian, who was forced to undergo surgery just before the season was suspended, has recovered from a fractured ankle injury he sustained in February.

Luis Suarez

Barcelona were dealt a huge blow in their bid to see off Real Madrid in the title race, when Suarez was ruled out for four months after undergoing knee surgery in January.

The Uruguayan striker was set to miss the rest of the season after he decided with the club it would be best to go ahead with the operation, after struggling with a meniscus issue for a number of months.

But the surgery might just have proved very timely due to the suspension of football.  And the former Liverpool star was spotted training with his Barcelona team-mates as they returned to training on Friday. With it being reported that La Liga will resume in June, this should give Suarez plenty of time to build up his match-fitness.

Ousmane Dembele

Just like Suarez, it is a very similar situation for Dembele - who was ruled out for five months in February after tearing his hamstring.

Despite Dembele's setback occurring outside of the designated January transfer window, Barcelona were granted permission to sign an emergency striker as a result - Martin Braithwaite.

But Braithwaite isn't likely to be adding to his three Barcelona appearances for some time and it's possible that Dembele - just like Suarez - will now be fit again by the time the Spanish league restarts.

SERIE A

Nicolo Zaniolo

Roma were left reeling the injury of Italian star Zaniolo after he tore his anterior cruciate ligament in January.

But fortunately the 20-year-old has had more time than he expected to recover due to the Serie A season being stalled by Covid-19. And he has since declared his ambitions to be fit when the campaign restarts.

'If it's possible, I would be very happy to end the season with my team-mates,' Zaniolo told Sky Sport Italia. 'This experience has really helped me to grow up, to be honest. It makes you realise what's important and to focus on the details.'

Lucas Leiva

He may not be the most star-studded name on the list but title-chasers Lazio will be breathing a huge sigh of relief that they will have the former Liverpool star at their disposal when the action gets underway again.

During the break in play, the 33-year-old used his time wisely by undergoing knee surgery that was set to keep him out for a month. He had been struggling with a recurring inflammation in his right knee for some time.

And with no Serie A return date yet confirmed, Lucas should be fully recovered in time to help Lazio in their quest for the Italian top-flight title. The club sit just a point behind leaders Juventus in second, with 12 matches remaining.

Source: m.allfootballapp.com

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