England handed World Cup boost as rivals suffer major injury blow with Premier League star out

Ed Griffiths
Thu, 09 Apr 2026 20:52:09 +0000

England have been handed a World Cup boost as Mohammed Kudus faces the prospect of surgery after suffering a fresh setback in his recovery from a thigh injury.

The development threatens Kudus's participation in Ghana's World Cup campaign, where the Black Stars are scheduled to meet Thomas Tuchel's England in Boston on June 23.

The 25-year-old Ghanaian winger had recently returned to first-team training following three months on the sidelines when he aggravated the same muscle problem that forced him off during a 1-1 draw with Sunderland in January.

Spurs have confirmed the player will undergo further specialist assessment, with an operation now a possibility.

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Ghana have been drawn in Group L alongside England, Croatia and Panama for the tournament in North America.

The Black Stars open their campaign against Panama on June 18, followed by the highly anticipated clash with the Three Lions five days later, and their final group match against Croatia on June 27.

Kudus is regarded as a key figure for his national team, considered a talisman alongside Manchester City's Antoine Semenyo.

His potential absence would represent a catastrophic blow for Ghana ahead of what promises to be a challenging group stage.

The winger is understood to be devastated by the latest setback, acutely aware of what is at stake over the coming months.

England, meanwhile, head into the tournament with considerable momentum following a flawless qualifying campaign under Tuchel.

The Three Lions secured their place in North America with a perfect record of eight victories from eight matches, becoming one of the most dominant qualifying runs in the nation's history.

Remarkably, England did not concede a single goal throughout the entire campaign while scoring 22 times.

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Harry Kane capped the achievement with a brace in the final qualifier, a 2-0 triumph away to Albania.

Tuchel has spoken positively about his squad's unity and strong mentality, viewing the campaign as a clear statement of intent ahead of the World Cup.

The injury compounds an already dire situation at Tottenham, who sit 17th in the Premier League table, just a single point above the relegation zone.

Roberto De Zerbi takes charge of his first match as Spurs manager this Sunday when the club travels to Sunderland, though he faces a mounting injury crisis among his attacking options.

Wilson Odobert and Dejan Kulusevski have both been ruled out for the remainder of the season.

James Maddison is unlikely to feature significantly as he recovers from a cruciate ligament injury.

Kudus's setback was the first of five serious injuries Spurs suffered across five consecutive matches in January.

Rodrigo Bentancur, Richarlison, Ben Davies and Lucas Bergvall are also sidelined.