Coach 'extremely concerned' after forward limps off during victory over Senegal
Friday 29 June 2018 11:00, UK
Colombia coach Jose Pekerman said he was "extremely concerned" for James Rodriguez after he limped off during their win over Senegal.
Rodriguez, whose side face England in the last 16 on Tuesday, was substituted after 31 minutes of the 1-0 World Cup victory on Thursday afternoon, which sealed Colombia's place at the top of Group H.
After the game, Pekerman told reporters he was worried about the condition of the 26-year-old, who spent last season on loan at Bayern Munich from Real Madrid, while also attempting to play down the situation given Colombia's qualification for the last 16.
"I'm extremely concerned, it's a very tough situation for my team," he said.
"I didn't want to talk about this in a conference, because it risks overshadowing everything else that's happened. But I can say it's not a comfortable situation for us."
Rodriguez was restricted to a cameo appearance in Colombia's opening game, a 2-1 defeat to Japan, because of a minor calf injury, before starting the win over Poland and again against Senegal.
When asked if Rodriguez had suffered a fresh injury, Pekerman said: "At the moment we don't have information, I can't confirm or deny.
"He trained normally until yesterday as always, he stayed on afterwards to practise free kicks and penalties as he does.
"He was fully fit... but right now I don't know where he stands. We do hope we'll hear good news once he's gone for his check-up."
