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- The unpleasant-sounding drink helped Kieran Trippier’s recovery against Serbia
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England’s players are being given pickle juice to help prevent cramp at the European Championship.
Three Lions full-back Kieran Trippier was falsely accused of doping by fans on social media after he was seen consuming a secret ‘magic potion’ during his side’s 1-0 win over Serbia on Sunday.
Trippier, whom Gareth Southgate is trusting at left-back while Luke Shaw continues to recover from injury, had fans fearing the worst during the closing stages of England’s Euro 2024 opener, falling to the floor with an apparent injury.
Fortunately for England and the Newcastle star, he was only suffering from cramp and swiftly got back to his feet to stretch his right leg out on the advertising board, before ingesting two peculiar sachets handed to him by a Three Lions doctor.
Trippier stayed on the pitch to see out the game and earn England an important clean sheet, with Southgate’s side sitting top of Group C heading into their second match against Denmark on Thursday.
The manner in which Trippier swiftly recovered prompted investigative fans to question the secret potion and its contents, with some going so far as falsely accuse the full-back of ‘doping live on television’.
‘Eh, what’s going on here? Trippier giving himself an injection mod game,’ one fan posted on social media.
Another said: ‘When Trippier gets caught on doping on live tv. England should be disqualified.’
Despite the bizarre claims, Trippier was actually given one sachet of pickle juice and another containing a high-carb drink known as ‘fuel bomb’.
The Three Lions’ camp has stocked up on pickle juice for the Euro 2024 campaign because the drink has properties to help combat cramp. It has found to stop cramping up to ’40 per cent faster than drinking water’.
But there’s nothing particularly new about England’s secret weapon for Euro 2024.
Ex-Arsenal midfielder Lucas Torreira was handed a bottle of the drink during the Gunners’ 2-0 victory over Chelsea in 2019.
Tennis players such as Carlos Alcaraz have been seen on court drinking the rather unpleasant-sounding beverage, with the most notable occasion coming during the Spaniard’s five-set triumph over Novak Djokovic at Wimbledon last summer.
Back in 2019, American athlete Frances Tiafoe revealed that pickle juice had helped him reach the Australian Open quarter-finals.
Pickle juice, which is made up of vinegar, sodium and potassium, triggers a reflex in the mouth which directs a signal to stop muscles from flexing.
The drink improves gut health with anti-oxidants, helps control blood sugar levels, and is even good for fresh-smelling breath, killing nasty bacteria that reproduces inside the mouth.
And if England win the Euros, they may continue to drink it even after the final.
It has been reported that pickle juice helps cure alcohol-induced hangovers too, so Southgate’s players may find themselves reaching for a bottle the morning after what would surely be a boozy celebration party in Germany.