Tim Ream has conceded that he will miss the Gold Cup and the Nations League with the United States this summer.
The Fulham defender says he has been instructed to rest for six weeks after undergoing surgery on the arm he fractured during the Whites’ 2-1 defeat by Manchester City earlier this month. That means that the States will need to do without the 35 year-old for the duration of their competitive schedule in June and that the centre back’s most likely return to match action could be during the Premier League Summer Series which takes place in America in July.
Ream told Pro Soccer Wire:
“I’m definitely not playing any part with the U.S. unfortunately. There was an outside chance that I would have been able to for the Gold Cup. Nations League is too soon. I am under strict orders of six weeks of no-contact training or physical activity. So six weeks comes I believe two days before the Nations League semi-final and that only leaves me two days of contact training, and that’s not really conducive to performing at a high level with the national team.
I’m obviously ruled out of [the Nations League] medically and then with the Gold Cup being so soon after, we’ve taken the decision to let the arm heal even more. Because if I leave it and come back for preseason that puts me at between nine and 10 weeks of of healing. And that’s a whole heck of a lot better than saying “OK, let’s take a risk at six weeks.”
Marco Silva’s side play three matches Stateside as part of the Premier League Summer Series as part of their preparations for a second season in the top flight. The Whites will take on local rivals Brentford at Lincoln Financial Field in Philadelphia on Sunday 23 July, then Aston Villa in Orlando three days later before completing their mini-tour by facing Chelsea, who they are guaranteed to finish above this term, in Maryland on Sunday 30 July.
Ream might return to first-team action sooner during Fulham’s pre-season programme, with the Cottagers scheduled to return to pre-season training at the start of July but no earlier friendlies have been finalised.
