Euro 2020: Arnautovic to miss out for Austria against England

Austria forward Marko Arnautovic will miss his country’s European Championship warm-up international against England on Wednesday as he is struggling with injury, the Austrian team said on Sunday.

The 32-year-old striker, looking to make his first return to England since leaving West Ham United two years ago, suffered a right thigh muscle tear playing in the Chinese league for Shanghai Port earlier in May.

“We are taking his muscle injury seriously and are on the right track,” team doctor Michael Fiedler told reporters on Sunday. “But we will definitely skip the England game and not risk any injury.”

Austria meet England in the first of their two warm-up games in Middlesbrough, after which they take on Slovakia next Sunday in Vienna, where Arnautovic will be used, coach Franco Foda added.

Austria forward Marko Arnautovic will miss his country’s #Euro2020 warm-up international against England as he is struggling with injury.https://t.co/k1IFC1K03p

— Sportstar (@sportstarweb) May 30, 2021

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Fellow striker Karim Onisiwo might also miss out against England after pulling out of Sunday’s training with knee pain, while Stefan Ilsanker missed the session because of illness.

But Austria captain Julian Baumgartlinger was back in training. He gave the team a scare on Saturday when he looked to have re-injured the knee he needed surgery on at the start of the year and which sidelined him over the last five months.

Austria open their Euro 2020 campaign against North Macedonia in Bucharest on 13 June.