Mohamed Touré's Training Absence Raises Concerns for Socceroos

ALAMEDA, California — The cameras clicked, the drills began, and the Socceroos flowed into their work on a cool Bay Area evening. One figure was missing.

Mohamed Touré, the striker widely tipped to spearhead Australia’s Group D campaign, was nowhere to be seen once the serious business of training started at the Oakland Roots and Soul facility on Wednesday.

He had been there. Touré arrived with the rest of the squad, posed for the team photo, then vanished from the session just as the doors effectively closed.

For 15 minutes, media watched Tony Popovic’s full 26-man group go through their paces. Every outfield player, every goalkeeper. No Touré.

When the viewing window shut and questions opened, confusion followed.

Jordan Bos, pushed on the absence of his attacking teammate, 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."

A short time later, a Socceroos spokesperson stepped in with the only official line so far: Touré is expected back on the training pitch on Thursday. No details, no explanation, no indication of whether the issue is physical, personal, or precautionary.

For Popovic, the timing is far from ideal. Australia face Türkiye in their Group D opener in just a few days, and the Norwich City forward has been central to the blueprint for this campaign. At 22, with pace, power and a growing reputation in England, Touré has been pencilled in to lead the line.

Any doubt around his availability sends a ripple through the entire squad.

"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 important the striker has become in a short space of time.

If that asset is suddenly off the board for Saturday, the equation up front changes dramatically.

Without Touré, Tete Yengi becomes the only fully fit out-and-out striker in the squad. The 25-year-old is still taking his first steps at this level; his international debut only came last weekend in San Diego, when he climbed off the bench to score a 56th-minute equaliser in a 1-1 draw with Switzerland.

It was an encouraging start. It was also a reminder of how thin the depth chart looks if the first-choice No. 9 is missing.

Popovic does have alternatives, but each comes with a twist.

Nestory Irankunda, the explosive teenager who featured on the wing against the Swiss, has been used centrally by Popovic before. His direct running and fearlessness could unsettle Türkiye, yet asking him to anchor the attack from the start of a major tournament fixture is a very different assignment to coming in from the flank.

Then there is Mathew Leckie, the old reliable. The Melbourne City veteran has spent much of his career shuttling between wide and central roles, often sacrificing his own comfort for the balance of the team. Popovic has already flagged his value as a tactical Swiss army knife.

"The luxury of Mathew Leckie is that he can play anywhere," the coach said when naming his squad. "He has the experience and maturity that you don't need a week or two of training in a position with him. You can basically show him a video, and he would know what to do."

Leckie as a central forward, Yengi as the focal point, Irankunda as a wild card: those are the levers on the table if Touré’s situation lingers.

For now, the message from camp is simple: he’ll be back on Thursday, training behind closed doors. No cameras, no 15‑minute window, no immediate clarity for those outside the inner circle.

Inside, though, the stakes are obvious. Australia have built a game plan that leans heavily on Touré’s power and presence. Whether he can deliver it against Türkiye is suddenly the question hanging over their entire start to Group D.