Celtic star Benjamin Nygren sparked a World Cup injury scare after being forced onto an individual training plan just days before Sweden’s opener.
The midfielder was left “on the sidelines” at training after taking a knock in last week’s 2-2 draw with Greece, where he was hooked in the 64th minute following a crunching challenge.
Nygren, 24, is coming off an impressive debut season in Glasgow, smashing 21 goals, including 16 in the league, which helped Celtic to a league and cup double.
But fears were raised in Sweden when it emerged the £1.7million signing was one of four players who could not fully take part in the latest session and instead followed an individual programme in the gym with limited contact work.
Swedish outlet Sportbladet reported that Nygren, along with Victor Lindelof, Anthony Elanga and Alexander Bernhardsson, was kept out of full training and monitored closely by medical staff.
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However, Sweden assistant Sebastian Larsson has moved to play down any talk of a major problem and insists the tweaks are purely precautionary. Larsson said: “We have been together all pre-camp and had various training and matches.
“With the travel day yesterday, it’s all about getting the guys together. It’s nothing to worry about, absolutely not.”
Nygren is gearing up for his first World Cup finals and is tipped to be a key man for Sweden in Group F, where they face the Netherlands, Japan and Tunisia.
That means potential head-to-head clashes with Celtic teammates Daizen Maeda, who is in the Japan squad, and Sebastian Tounekti, who is part of Tunisia’s plans.
With the tournament kicking off in just a few days, both club and country will be desperate for Nygren to be fully fit and firing when Sweden open against Tunisia.
