Canada captain Alphonso Davies is finally set to play at the World Cup when the co-hosts take on South Africa in the first round of 32 match on Sunday. But will he really?
Coach Jesse Marsch has said that Davies "is ready and will play" while adding it remains to be seen whether in the starting XI or not.
But Marsch had also said that Davies would be available for the last group match against Switzerland on Wednesday, which didn't happen, and he freely admitted afterwards that "Alphonso wasn’t ready yet. I used him as a diversion."
Canada lost the match 2-1 and with it home field advantage on Sunday (and for a possible last 16 match) as they will now play in Inglewood, California instead of Vancouver.
But a Davies return would be a huge boost in the first-ever knock-out match for the team (and for South Africa).
Davies, 25, has been sidelined with a muscle injury he sustained playing for Bayern Munich in the Champions League semi-final against Paris Saint-Germain in early May.
The left back is the poster boy of Canadian football but it remains to be seen how fit he really is to lead the team.
Born in refugee camp in Ghana from parents who fled Liberia, Davies won his first Canada cap in 2017 and now stands at 58 caps with 15 goals.
It could have been many more, just like at Bayern where he has been playing since 2018 and winning six Bundesliga titles, two German Cups and one Champions League.
But Davies has been plagued by injuries for years, including a cruciate ligament tear in his knee which sidelined him from March until December last year.
As a result, Bayern have reportedly found an option in Germany player Nathaniel Brown which makes Davies' future at the club uncertain.
For the Canadian team he is however of massive importance.
"He is our captain and our best player," Marsch said, adding that Davies has a “major influence, both physically and in terms of his playing style, as well as mentally and psychologically."
