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Is he healthy or not?Last updated 15 minutes ago You can save this article by registering for free here. Or sign-in if you have an account.Alphonso Davies, captain of Canada's soccer team, has been recovering from a hamstring injury suffered in early May while playing for Bayern Munich, his professional club. Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty ImagesIn a way, Alphonso Davies has been all over this World Cup.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Enjoy the latest local, national and international news.Exclusive articles by Conrad Black, Barbara Kay and others. Plus, special edition NP Platformed and First Reading newsletters and virtual events.Unlimited online access to National Post.National Post ePaper, an electronic replica of the print edition to view on any device, share and comment on.Daily puzzles including the New York Times Crossword.Support local journalism.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one account.Share your thoughts and join the conversation in the comments.Enjoy additional articles per month.Get email updates from your favourite authors.Create an account or sign in to continue with your reading experience.Access articles from across Canada with one accountShare your thoughts and join the conversation in the commentsEnjoy additional articles per monthGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorEvery time the television broadcast breaks for commercials, the captain of the Canadian men’s national soccer team appears alongside icons of the sport in a McDonald’s commercial, or bouncing a ball off his head in a spot for BMO.At Toronto’s Union Station, where tens of thousands of fans arrive for the short ride west to the stadium, the superstar left back looms from large video screens, in another ad for the bank.He’s on the sidelines before and during games, leaning in to offer advice and encouragement to his teammates.But where Davies has very much not been, through Canada’s only three games on home soil in this tournament, is on the pitch. Not when the matches are happening, anyway.And it’s starting to become a thing. Is he hurt worse than feared, or is the team keeping him in metaphorical bubble wrap until the last possible minute?The 25-year-old has been recovering from a hamstring injury suffered in early May while playing for Bayern Munich, his professional club. And while there were originally concerns over whether he would heal enough to appear in this home World Cup, head coach Jesse Marsch has been consistently positive about his prospects.After Davies was late to join Canada’s training camp, having stayed in Munich for additional treatment, Marsch said he expected him to play in the tournament, while allowing that he would not feature in the opener against Bosnia-Herzegovina.Marsch then started referring to Davies simply as “available” — he told TSN that he decided he had been too honest in sharing updates on the player’s status — for subsequent matches, in a transparent attempt to keep Canada’s opponents guessing.But it would also be a guessing game for Canadian fans. Would Davies play, or would he only come on the pitch if they really needed him? After all, every additional day that the hamstring wasn’t put under the stress of game conditions would improve his recovery.In Canada’s second game, the question quickly became moot when the hosts jumped out to an early lead and Qatar had a player sent off in the first half. No point in coming on just to pad a big lead, which his teammates did anyway.But the third game, on Wednesday against Switzerland, seemed a likely time for Davies to make his return, if he was indeed available. Even if he didn’t start, which is typical when players are coming back from injury, getting back on the pitch would make sense as Canada prepared for an all-but-certain appearance in the knockout rounds.As it happened, the ideal situation for a Davies cameo presented itself: Canada trailing Switzerland by a goal late, and needing a draw to secure a spot in a knockout game in Vancouver instead of going on the road. It seemed like a fine time to introduce your team’s only true superstar, the guy who scored the first goal in Canadian men’s World Cup history and who can change a game with merely his presence.But again, Davies did not come off the bench. He didn’t even go through a warm-up, as Canada lost to the Swiss and fell into a Round of 32 game in Los Angeles on Sunday.After the match, it got weird. Marsch told reporters in Vancouver that Davies had not been, in fact, available.“Alphonso wasn’t ready yet, so I was using him a little bit as a decoy,” the coach said. “However, he will be ready next match.”This was curious. How would Marsch know, post-game on Wednesday, that Davies would be ready for Sunday, especially after a long injury layoff?Could he have played against Switzerland, but the coach didn’t want to risk it because it wasn’t a must-win game for Canada? Or is Marsch’s insistence that he will be “ready” just more gamesmanship from a coach who has already admitted to such shenanigans?Either is possible. It is worth noting here that Davies, Canada Soccer and Bayern Munich haven’t always gotten along famously when it comes to the player’s welfare. He blew an ACL while playing for the national team early last year, and Bayern (and Davies’ agent) publicly suggested Canada had put him at risk by playing him when his leg was not 100 per cent healthy. He missed most of last season while recovering.All parties were said to be on the same page with the treatment of the latest injury, but it’s also true that Canada and Bayern Munich could have different opinions now on whether he should play. Could that be influencing all the mystery about his status?The other party here is, obviously, Davies himself, but he isn’t talking. He spurned opportunities to address the media at the World Cup, and reportedly blew past Canadian reporters with a phone to his ear after the Switzerland game.That is likely, at least in part, on Marsch’s orders. If he doesn’t want the player’s status to be updated publicly, there’s no point in Davies standing up and giving a series of non-answers to reporters.But the mystery isn’t just a hindrance to opponents who don’t know whether to plan for his presence. To the extent that one of the benefits of co-hosting the tournament was as an opportunity to raise the profile of the sport in Canada, the empty spot where their captain should be is, so far, a big miss.Davies is the face of the men’s national team, and at a home World Cup, he’s been a ghost.Sunday, at least, will bring a conclusion to the saga. If Davies doesn’t play in a win-or-go-home match against South Africa, we’ll know he was never going to play.That would be a disappointing way to solve a mystery.Check out our sports section for the latest news and analysis. Join the Conversation This website uses cookies to personalize your content (including ads), and allows us to analyze our traffic. Read more about cookies here. By continuing to use our site, you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.