The Sunday Mail
YAYA TOURE has given Cote d’Ivoire a massive scare ahead of their World Cup campaign.
The Manchester City midfielder was ruled out of the final warm-up match against El Salvador in Texas last week. The Elephants still managed to win 2-1 thanks to goals from Didier Drogba and Gervinho.
But there are fears that Toure is still struggling with the thigh injury that blighted the end of his Premier League season.
An Cote d’Ivoire spokesman said: “Yaya Toure has not presented any alarming signs as regards his fitness, but the technical staff of the Ivorian team wants to rest a player who has come through injury and had a tiring season.”
The squad arrived in Brazil on Friday and begin their Group C fixtures against Japan in Recife on June 14, before facing Colombia and Greece.
Meanwhile, the Aspetar Orthopaedic and Sports Medicine Hospital in Doha confirmed the African Footballer of the Year’s admission for what it called, in a statement, a “minor injury” a fortnight ago.
On the last day of the season on May 11 he went off in the second half with a reported hamstring injury as City beat West Ham. — Agencies.
