KYLE WALKER has ruled himself OUT of England’s World Cup opener against Iran.
Gareth Southgate selected the Manchester City star in his 26-man squad for Qatar, despite him having not played for his club since October 2.
Walker, 32, gave his manager a boost by taking part in England training today.
The defender took part in a session at the Al Wakrah SC Stadium – where temperatures reached 32C on Wednesday.
But the opener vs Iran next Monday will come too soon for the full-back, according to Sky Sports.
Walker himself claims, however, that he will “raring to go” for their next matches.
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The Three Lions take on the USA on Friday, 25 November, before a Battle of Britain tussle with Wales on Tuesday, 29 November.
Updating fans on Walker’s status when naming his squad for Qatar, Southgate said: “Kyle’s a little bit different in that he’s not back in full training yet but he’s going to be available before the end of the group stage.
“Of course we had to make a very difficult call with Reece [James] who we think is a fantastic player but he wasn’t going to be available, if everything went perfectly, until the latter stages of the tournament.
“There are too many unknowns for us on that road to recovery and also I don’t think we can take a player who is not available for the group stages as that would be deemed arrogant in some circles.
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“But also, if everything went well and he was available and he was ready and we were picking him, then you’d be dropping him into a quarter-final after eight weeks out and that would be really demanding. Tough call.
“Kyle is a long way ahead of that and is progressing really well.”
The 70-cap star has made just seven Prem appearances this term, having suffered with a groin injury during the 6-3 win over Man United.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
