Noni Madueke injury forces early substitution against Uruguay and concern for Arsenal | OneFootball

Noni Madueke is an injury doubt after being replaced in the first half of England’s international friendly against Uruguay.

The Arsenal winger was involved in a heavy collision with Rodrigo Aguirre on the edge of the Uruguay penalty area as he cut inside from the right and looked to shoot.

Aguirre tracked back and won the ball but his follow through clattered Madueke to the ground and he received treatment from the England medical team.

Madueke then continued to play for another couple of minutes before waving over to the physios and asking to be replaced. He was guided off the pitch, and straight down the tunnel, while holding his jaw.

The extent of the injury is unconfirmed though it is suspected he suffered a concussion at this stage.

The match against Uruguay and Tuesday’s fixture versus Japan are the last chances for England players to stake their case for a World Cup spot and Madueke’s early departure will be a frustrating inconvenience for the winger.

Madueke was not the first player to suffer an early exit as Uruguay defender, Joaquin Piquerez, also picked up a serious ankle issue after an attempted tackle on the Arsenal attacker.

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(Action Images via Reuters)

Madueke had taken to the ball to the byline before getting tackled with Piquerez who seemingly rolled his ankle and needed to be taken off on a stretcher after five-and-a-half minutes of treatment on the pitch. Jose Maria Gimenez replaced him for the visitors.

In the second half, England were forced into another injury substitution as Phil Foden was taken out by a lunging Ronald Araujo. The defender collided with Foden’s shin and ankle on a wild tackle but avoided punishment just a few minutes after the restart. Though initially attempting to play on Foden was replace by Cole Palmer.

The game was a physical affair, especially in midfield, during the first half with neither side managing to take control of possession for long periods. England struggled for momentum and despite forcing Uruguay to defend for most of the first 45 minutes they went into the half-time break with the score goalless at nil-nil.