'You have to hold him back' - Spain treading carefully with Dani Carvajal injury ahead of World Cup

Sport360 staff 00:03 09/06/2018
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  • Dani Carvajal was taken off during the Champions League final.

    Real Madrid defender Dani Carvajal will have to be held back ahead of the World Cup, according to Spain boss Julen Lopetegui.

    Carvajal injured his hamstring during the Champions League final win over Liverpool, leaving the field in tears.

    But he was named in the 2010 winners’ squad and will be “ready”, his manager says.

    Whether he features in Saturday’s final friendly with Tunisia is another matter, with Lopetegui telling Marca he is having to rein the player in.

    “You have to hold him back slightly,” he said.

    “But I’m sure he’ll be ready. You want him to take two steps forward instead of just one before suffering a setback.”

    Lopetegui is banking on having midfielder Sergio Busquets available to face Tunisia – England’s group-stage opponents.

    The Barcelona man missed the friendly with Switzerland due to illness.

    “Sergio has recovered perfectly,” Lopetegui added. “Provided nothing else happens, he’ll play.”

    The game is being played in Krasnodar, with the sides already in Russia in a bid to acclimatise ahead of their opening clashes.

    “It’s one more step, we didn’t choose Tunisia by chance,” Lopetegui said.

    “They have a very good team and will demand a lot of us. We need to fine-tune things and arrive at the first match with balance, both physically and mentally.”

    Spain start out against Portugal a week on Saturday, with Tunisia facing England the following Monday.

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