Imagine having the honour of flying out to Russia to play for your national team in the World Cup Group Stages, but also knowing your wife is heavily pregnant and could give birth whilst you are away.
Well, that is the dilemma facing Fabian Delph, but he has sought permission to fly back home should his wife give birth or be about to from the England boss Gareth Southgate and has been given permission to do so.
In fact, it would appear the England team have been busy baby making recently! For Phil Jones is also in a similar position, and he too has been told that if he and his wife’s baby is about to make an appearance he too will be allowed to jet back home at a moment’s notice.
It must be worry some if not all the team members if such a prominent player such as Delph is forced to fly back home as to whether that will have a negative effect on the team, but all in all I would say the make up of the team should be able to carry his absence should they have too.
https://youtu.be/djUgh6GSYOY
But as Delph’s wife Natalie isn’t due to have her baby on June the 30th which is two days after England will have played their last Group Stage match in Kaliningrad against Belgium, there is a good chance he will be around for all Group Stages matches.
If she does give birth on her due day, then he could fly back home and see her, and get back in time for the next set of matches, but that is of course presuming they do get through the Groups Stages, and there are no guarantees England will do so.
Will England Get Through the Group Stages?
The Group Stages that England will be playing in are spread over a total of ten days, and the first match they do have to win, with Delph playing in he team or not is on the 18th of June, when they are playing against Tunisia.
That match will be kicking off at 7pm in Volgograd, they are then scheduled to plat against Panama a few days later the 24th of June at 1pm, before they play the last match, that being on June the 28th against Belgium.
It does look a fair bet that England could cruise through the Group Stages, and if there is one team they may be worried about it is Belgium, however with a little bit of luck they could get through, but if not then at least Delph and possibly teammate Jones will get to play in those matches, and still be able to fly back in time for their wives to give birth.
I think the moral of the story, is if it does look like you are going to be playing in the World Cup, try and keep that in mind when it comes to making babies nine months beforehand!
