England and Barcelona star Toni Duggan has missed their first two group games at the Women’s World Cup through injury. She is now fit and will be in contention for tomorrow’s third and final group game, but should she start?
Duggan has been speaking to the media and she told reporters of her frustration of having to sit on the sideline. Despite that, she will be fit for tomorrow evenings game.
“You wait for years for a World Cup to come round, you go through all the training and wanting to get picked, then you get on the plane and in the first day of training you get injured,” said the 27-year-old. “I was told I had an injury and I had a time-frame, but thankfully I’ve had no problems. Now I’ve got the all-clear and I’m ready to play against Japan.”
Duggan normally plays off the left when she plays for her country, so if she is to come into the team, she will likely replace Beth Mead. Although at times she can be frustrating, Mead has been one of England’s best performers at the World Cup so far this summer.
Toni Duggan fit for Japan test
She was the main creative outlet against Argentina and she actually popped up with the assist for England’s one and only goal of the game. She proved to be a nuisance up and down the wing and in both games, she has linked very well with Manchester United left-back, Alex Greenwood.
However, with the sheer star quality and experience Duggan brings, she could be the missing piece in an attack that has struggled finishing chances so far. Is it worth the risk of re-aggravating the injury? That’s another concern Phil Neville needs to take into account.
The best choice, and most likely choice for me, will be to leave her on the bench and bring her on late in the game. If England are in need of goals, she’s a good option to have off the bench. If they’re already in the clear and heading for a win, it’ll be good for her to get some minutes anyway.
What do you think? Should Duggan play against Japan tomorrow night?
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