Mohamed Touré Absent from Socceroos Training Ahead of Türkiye Clash

ALAMEDA, California — The cameras clicked, the drills began, and one of the most important players in Australia’s campaign was nowhere to be seen.

For 15 tightly controlled minutes on Wednesday evening, media watched the Socceroos go through their paces at the Oakland Roots and Soul facility. All 26 outfield and goalkeeping options Tony Popovic brought to the United States were out there.

All except Mohamed Touré.

The Norwich City forward, widely tipped to spearhead Australia’s attack at this tournament, was a conspicuous absentee once the warm-ups and early drills began. He had arrived with his teammates. He had posed for the team photo. Then he vanished from the session.

No explanation. No detail. Just a gap in the frontline days before a Group D opener against Türkiye.

Closed doors and closed lips

As soon as the open portion of training ended and players were ushered towards the sideline, the question was inevitable: Where was Touré?

Jordan Bos, still catching his breath, could only shrug.

"No, I actually don't know," the defender admitted. "It was actually during training where I noticed he wasn't in there, so I don't know why he wasn't."

By the time Milos Degenek stepped up to speak, a Socceroos spokesperson had moved to steady the narrative. The line was simple: Touré is expected back on the training pitch on Thursday. The rest? Off limits. No injury bulletin. No clarification on whether it was precaution, fitness, or something else entirely.

So the mystery remained, even as the official message tried to cool it.

A potential blow up front

The uncertainty lands at the worst possible moment for Popovic. Touré, 22, has been pencilled in as the man to lead the line, his form at Norwich City and his physical profile giving Australia a focal point they have been crying out for.

"He's a big asset for us, he's been doing really well, and his new club, he's scoring goals and his power -- everything about him -- is great," Bos said, underlining just how central the striker has become in a short space of time.

Take that out of the side, even for one game, and the entire attacking plan needs a rethink.

If Touré cannot go against Türkiye on Saturday, the depth chart up front thins out quickly. Tete Yengi suddenly becomes the only recognised fit striker in the squad.

Yengi, 25, only just stepped onto the international stage, debuting in the 1-1 draw with Switzerland in San Diego last weekend. He marked that bow with a 56th-minute equaliser, a timely reminder that he can make an impact, but asking him to shoulder the load as a starting No. 9 in a major group opener is a very different assignment.

Popovic’s reshuffle options

Should Popovic decide not to throw Yengi straight into the fire, the solutions start to look more improvised.

Nestory Irankunda is one option. The teenage livewire operated on the wing against the Swiss, stretching the game and driving at defenders, but Popovic has used him centrally before. A more fluid, mobile front line built around Irankunda would change the way Australia attack, leaning on chaos and pace rather than a traditional target.

Then there is Mathew Leckie. The veteran has spent much of his career drifting between the flank and central roles, asked time and again to plug gaps and solve problems. His coach has already flagged that versatility as a key weapon.

When Popovic named his squad, he called Leckie a "luxury" player, the type who can slide into almost any role with minimal preparation. Show him a video, the coach said, and he would know what to do.

If Touré is sidelined, that luxury might become a necessity.

Leckie as a central forward, Irankunda pushed higher, Yengi as an impact substitute — all are on the table now. So is the prospect of a more conservative approach, with Australia prioritising structure over risk in their first test of the group.

Waiting for Thursday

For now, the official line is calm: Touré will be back on the grass on Thursday, behind closed doors, away from prying eyes and long lenses. The session will say more than any press release.

Is he simply being managed carefully, wrapped in cotton wool before the real games start? Or is this the first sign of a problem that forces Popovic to redraw his plans on the eve of the tournament?

Australia’s staff know the answer. The rest of the football world will start to find out when the Socceroos walk out to face Türkiye — and everyone counts the forwards.