LEIPZIG, Germany — Crystal Palace manager Oliver Glasner announced that Chris Richards has returned to training as he recovers from an ankle injury, just under three weeks before the World Cup. The United States international was injured in Palace’s recent match against Brentford, where he suffered ligament damage.
Glasner indicated last week that there was a 50/50 chance of Richards participating in Wednesday’s UEFA Conference League final against Rayo Vallecano.
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Richards was included in the U.S. men’s national team’s 26-man roster for the World Cup. Coach Mauricio Pochettino stated that they will assess his condition leading up to the tournament, as teams can make changes to their roster due to injury or illness until 24 hours before their first match.
The U.S. is set to kick off their World Cup campaign against Paraguay on June 13, followed by matches against Australia and Türkiye in their group.
“We’ll evaluate his situation tomorrow and then make a decision,” Pochettino said at a press conference. “We have until one day before the World Cup to make any changes.”
Crystal Palace faces Rayo Vallecano on Wednesday evening, marking Glasner’s final match in charge of the club.
The ultimate decision regarding the participation of Richards and midfielder Adam Wharton—who was substituted due to injury in the last game against Arsenal—will be made on the day of the final.
“I can’t confirm whether Richards or Wharton will start, but both were available for training today,” Glasner remarked at a press briefing. “We’ll continue to work with the medical team until shortly before the match. Our objective is to field a starting eleven that is fully fit.”
“If they are not feeling 100% fit by tomorrow morning, then they won’t start,” he added. “The encouraging news is they both trained without major issues, despite feeling some pain. After such a long season, many players are experiencing discomfort, but it’s about who is ready to participate, and we’ll finalize decisions tomorrow.”
Richards recently captained the U.S. men’s national team in a friendly against Portugal and is expected to play a pivotal role in the team as they host the World Cup. He missed the 2022 World Cup in Qatar due to a hamstring injury.