Jack Grealish admitted to being a little ‘baffled’ by the state of Tose Proeski Arena pitch as England secured a 1-1 draw with North Macedonia.
Trent Alexander-Arnold started the game in a heavily rotated Three Lions outfit that had safely topped their qualifying group for the European Championship.
“The pitch was awful. It baffles me how pitches like that are acceptable, to be honest,” the former Aston Villa winger was quoted as saying by the Echo. “There were like little stones everywhere. Phil has cut his hand because of the stones on the pitch, but yes, it is part of what you are going to get to some places.”
Pep Guardiola will be breathing a sigh of relief after his star winger and Phil Foden avoided serious injury.
Still not looking great elsewhere
There’s still something of a nervous wait for the Catalonian-born boss ahead of Liverpool’s trip to the Etihad.
The Sky Blues may have to contend with the absences of as many as seven players, including Mateo Kovacic, Matheus Nunes, Ederson, John Stones, Nathan Ake, Sergio Gomez and Kevin de Bruyne.
On a positive note for the hosts, Erling Haaland looks set to be available despite suffering a minor concern prior to Norway’s 3-3 draw with Scotland.
On our end, we’ll be hoping to see Ibrahima Konate back in action at the weekend after a promising clip was shared on his social media account.