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Wilfried Zaha's injury fear hits Stuart Pearce's Under-21 plans
ENGLAND’S trump card for the European Under-21 Championship is Manchester United’s Wilfried Zaha.
But just 24 hours after landing in Israel, the striker was sitting out Stuart Pearce’s first training session through injury.
Zaha has a long-standing ankle problem which was carefully managed in the final third of the season, allowing him to play a leading role in Crystal Palace’s successful bid for promotion.
Although Pearce played down Zaha’s injury, the fact remains that he took no part in training yesterday in Netanya, 20 miles north of Tel Aviv, which must put a question mark over whether he will be ready for England’s opening group match against Italy tomorrow.
Pearce said: “No, he shouldn’t be a doubt. We will have another look at him on Tuesday and see where he is with regards to his fitness.
“If you’re going to go to the final you’re going to have to deal with injuries and suspensions.”