David Vaughan latest to be forced out of Scotland clash

David Vaughan has pulled out of Wales’ World Cup qualifying clash with Scotland tomorrow due to an unspecified injury.

The Sunderland midfielder has featured in Wales’ last two Group A fixtures – a 2-1 triumph over the Scots in Cardiff on 12 October and the 2-0 defeat in Croatia four days later.

He will miss the reverse fixture against Gordon Strachan’s men at Hampden Park but the Football Association of Wales confirmed the 30-year-old will rejoin the squad before next week’s encounter with Croatia at Swansea’s Liberty Stadium.

Vaughan’s withdrawal gives manager Chris Coleman yet another selection headache after Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen and Leeds striker Steve Morison were ruled out over the weekend, while there is also a minor doubt over star man Gareth Bale. The winger suffered an ankle knock in Tottenham Hotspur’s 1-0 defeat against Fulham on Sunday, although it is believed there are no real fears the 23-year-old will miss out.

While Coleman had expressed a hope that Allen would feature for his country this week, it emerged yesterday that the Liverpool midfielder has, in fact, been ruled out of the remainder of the season. He will undergo surgery on a troublesome shoulder problem today

The 23-year-old withdrew from the Wales squad on Sunday because of the long-standing issue with his left shoulder, 
and the club then decided to bring forward plans for an 
operation. Allen has had the problem for some time but it began to get worse about five months ago and has now reached the point where corrective intervention is required.

“Joe Allen is due to have a left shoulder operation tomorrow morning in Liverpool and will be ready to return to football at the beginning of next season,” said Anfield doctor Zaf Iqbal.