Herdman says they’re ‘doing everything’ to get Alphonso Davies fit
Canada boss claims that they are doing everything to get Davies fit for Canada’s Opener against Belgium.
Canada are heading into their second-ever World Cup tournament unsure that their star player Alphonso Davies will be fit in time to play the opening match against Belgium but head coach John Herdman says they are doing everything they can to have Davies fit against
Belgium.
Davies was forced off Bayern Munich’s last game before the break against Hertha Berlin and it was then reported that he had a hamstring injury which has put his World Cup participation in doubt ever since.
Davies arrived in Qatar later than the rest of Canada’s squad but he took part in today’s training. However, his appearance against Belgium is still not assured.
Herdman spoke to the press on Saturday, acknowledging the importance of a player like Davies but he admitted that he won’t rush anything to play him against Belgium.
"
My mission is to make sure he plays at this World Cup, it's a childhood dream for him,
" Herdman said.
"But I have to say Belgium's another level, we haven't faced a team of that level since we played against Brazil [a 3-2 friendly loss in 2008].
"You need players like Alphonso, whether that's starting, or off the bench. So, we're doing everything we can.
"He's still building towards hitting his top speed. He hasn't hit that top speed yet and when you have hamstring injuries that's always the key moment. That's when the hamstring is pushed to its limits."
Aside from Davies, it appears that Canada’s talented midfielder Stephen Eustaquio is also nursing a muscle injury.
"It's another calculation. It's an algorithm we're trying to process now of is he hitting his markers?" Herdman continued.
"It really is mathematics, of what he can tolerate now through these next three training days to show that he's ready to start.
"If there's not a starting position, I'm sure he'll be coming off the bench. But there's no guarantees Stephen Eustaquio will start against Belgium at this point."
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