Liverpool’s Lallana faces race against time for England hopes

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Adam Lallana has not had the easiest of years with Liverpool.

As we approach the 2018 FIFA World Cup, English players are desperately trying to impress Gareth Southgate as they attempt to book a place on the plane to Russia, and one of those stars is Liverpool’s Adam Lallana.

The 29-year-old has been struggling over the course of the season due to a hamstring injury, which could not have come at a worse time given that it is a World Cup year. When he has taken his place in the starting XI things have still been quite inconsistent for the Englishman, but as reported by Birmingham Mail, he is not giving up without a fight.

“It’s just about getting that rhythm and hopefully this (against Italy) was just the start of it,” the Liverpool man said. “To get that rhythm you just need minutes on the pitch.

“It’s not just about training, it’s about playing competitive football. And there’s plenty of time between now and the end of the season.”

While the aforementioned game against Italy was in fact just a friendly, it raises an interesting question regarding what you have to do in order to earn your way into the England setup. By all accounts, Lallana can do a job for England, but perhaps the badge on his shirt is a reason why he has been given the nod at this stage of the year.

It is not like he isn’t a talented midfielder but he has certainly had some problems throughout the campaign, with his recent performance against Porto in the Champions League being a prime example. With that being said, you can see Lallana’s determination starting to grow as we enter the last few weeks of the season, which is obviously the best time to make a good impression on the England boss.

If Lallana can start to build up some momentum then it is entirely possible that he could play an important role in Russia, but he will have to continue doing what he has done best in the past – prove the doubters wrong. Injuries can do funny things to your game, and the Liverpool midfielder needs to showcase what he can do on the biggest stage.