Crystal Palace and United States centre-back Chris Richards has resumed individual training as he recovers from a hamstring injury but has yet to return to full training with his team-mates.
Richards is racing against time to regain full fitness ahead of the World Cup later this month. He’s made only three senior appearances for Palace since signing from Bayern Munich in the summer, playing a total of 134 minutes.
The 22-year-old suffered the injury in September, forcing him to withdraw from the USMNT’s squad that faced Japan and Saudi Arabia that month. He has collected eight international caps so far.
On Friday, Palace manager Patrick Vieira gave an update on his status, saying: “Chris has started doing some work outside but he didn’t do any kind of training with the team yet.
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“What is important is about him physically, there is a step he has to go through and at the moment he hasn’t done any kind of training with the squad.
“So the decision is not going to be mine but with the doctor we have to decide as a club what is best for the club.”
Vieira added that the club expect to speak with the United States management about Richards’ recovery.
USMNT head coach Gregg Berhalter will announce his World Cup squad on Wednesday November 9, ahead of their first match of the tournament against Wales on November 21.
The World Cup kicks off on November 20 and you can find all the latest news on the tournament here.
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(Photo: Getty Images)