Fifa have confirmed that England will have until the day before their World Cup campaign begins to replace Wayne Rooney, if the Manchester United striker is unable to recover from his broken metatarsal.
It had previously been thought that England would not be able to bring in a new player, if they named an already injured one on their 23-man squad – which needs to be submitted by May 23.
However, Fifa’s ruling means Rooney can be given over five weeks to recover before a decision about his fitness is made.
“Coaches will have players who are crucial to their team and who they hope will be fit in time for the tournament and this gives them a chance to recover fully right up to the beginning of their team’s World Cup,” Fifa’s Andreas Herren told Sky Sports News.
“That provision is there for any player, provided a medical certificate confirms the injury.
“The diagnosis must be formed in a way that an independent observer or the Fifa medical specialist can logically draw a conclusion based on the case history and clinical findings.
“We had a similar approach over the last World Cup.
“The point is that Fifa want to make sure the players are sufficiently rested and recuperated.
“But we want all coaches to have options open to them.”
Subscribe to World Soccer – The essential football magazine.
