Switzerland coach Ottmar Hitzfeld has played down concerns over the fitness of Valon Behrami after the midfielder was forced off during last night’s FIFA World Cup™ warm-up against Italy in Geneva.
The West Ham United player left the field after 57 minutes of the 1-1 draw with an apparent groin problem, raising fears he would join the lengthy list of English Premier League players set to miss the African showpiece through injury.
Behrami looked in good touch before his early exit and might even have scored a second goal for the Swiss, but Hitzfeld revealed the player did not seem too distressed by the injury.
“Behrami was playing very direct and looked threatening. I hope it’s not serious,” Hitzfeld told a news conference. “He wanted to continue playing actually. It was the doctor who took him out.”
Hitzfeld revealed a scan later on Sunday should confirm whether or not Behrami will be fit in time for Switzerland’s Group H opener against Spain on 16 June.
