News coming out of England and Portugal camps is that Ben White and Nuno Mendes were ruled out of the World Cup for various reasons.
Nuno Mendes is out of the World Cup due to an injury
Nuno Mendes, a Portuguese defender who was hurt against Uruguay, might miss the rest of the World Cup, according to L’Équipe.
Like the thigh injury he sustained when playing for PSG, this one sidelined him for three weeks.
Following a thigh strain against Uruguay, Mendes could not practice with the Seleçao on Wednesday and will miss Portugal’s last group game against South Korea.
The type of injury is similar to the one he sustained with PSG before the World Cup break, which kept him out for three weeks.
Still, the Portuguese FA did not want to comment on whether the player would be out longer than expected before a final decision from doctors on his condition.
Fabrizio Romano reports that Nuno Mendes will be out for two months due to a thigh injury.
Understand Nuno Mendes will be out for the next two months after thigh injury — can confirm that his World Cup is over ??? #Qatar2022
Been told Nuno will remain with the team until end of World Cup as PSG medical staff will visit him in Qatar — but he’s out until January 2023. pic.twitter.com/Usu9Rl8Yoo
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) November 30, 2022
Ben White leaves the England squad for personal reasons
Ben White, a defender for England, left the World Cup for “personal reasons” and has returned home.
White did not play in any of England’s three group games and was unavailable for Tuesday night’s final match against Wales.
An FA statement read: “Ben White has left England’s training base in Al Wakrah and returned home for personal reasons. The Arsenal defender is not expected to return to the squad for the remainder of the tournament. We ask that the player’s privacy is respected at this moment in time.”
White has had a solid start to the Premier League season with top-of-the-table Arsenal, and he did well enough to earn a spot in Gareth Southgate’s team.
For the tournament duration, England will be one player lighter without him. Still, Southgate has relative depth at the center of defense with John Stones and Harry Maguire as his first-choice pairing, as well as Eric Dier of Tottenham and Conor Coady of Everton.
Ben White has left England's training base in Qatar and has returned home for personal reasons.
The Arsenal defender is not expected to return for the rest of the tournament. pic.twitter.com/tuq0MJuUbc
— ESPN UK (@ESPNUK) November 30, 2022
