Scotland's World Cup rivals rocked by late call-off and summon Man Utd-bound player as replacement
Defender suffered injury in friendly victory
Brazil have made a late change to their World Cup squad after defender Wesley Franca picked up a tournament-ending injury in a friendly against Egypt.
It is being reported by Brazilian media outlets that manager Carlo Ancelotti has called up Manchester United-bound Ederson after scans revealed that Franca would not be able to play any part in the tournament.
Brazil are in Group C alongside Scotland, Haiti and Morocco and losing Franca, a 22-year-old right-back who plays for Roma, is a blow given he was expected to start against Morocco on Saturday night.
Franca suffered a muscle strain just 17 minutes into the 2-1 victory over Egypt in San Diego and was replaced by Danilo. Speaking after the match, Ancelotti knew the outlook was gloomy for the player. “It’s a shame to lose Wesley,” said the Italian coach. “We have to wait for the tests now. Eventually, we have good players to replace him.”
Ancelotti has decided to summon Atalanta midfielder Ederson, who is set to seal a big-money move to Man Utd when the World Cup ends.
Brazil edged past Egypt 2-1 thanks to goals from Bruno Guimaraes and Endrick in what is their final warm-up match ahead of the World Cup. They are one of the favourites to win the tournament and face Scotland in their final Group C match on June 24.
They also have a doubt over veteran forward Neymar. The 34-year-old was a surprise call-up by Ancelotti but since then, the former Barcelona and PSG player has suffered a calf complaint. A medical examination on Monday will decide whether he is fit to be part of the squad.
“I think his situation is quite clear,” Ancelotti said on Neymar in his Egypt pre-match press conference. “He's doing a great job on his own. After the weekend, he'll have an MRI scan and then, if everything goes well, he can train with the squad next week.”
Brazil have won the World Cup five times and claimed the trophy in 1994 when the finals were last held in the United States. They brought in Ancelotti on a lucrative contract to revive their fortunes and there is an expectation back home that they should go deep in this edition.
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