Sam Thompson Arrives at Soccer Aid with Wayne Rooney After Injury Setback

Sam Thompson had his game face on as he arrived for Soccer Aid with football legend Wayne Rooney on Sunday.

The I’m A Celebrity star, 33, was forced to pull out of the upcoming Soccer Aid match on Sunday after he suffered a string of injuries, including a calf injury, after his 260-mile challenge.

Instead of playing the game, he will now be helping from the sidelines as a coach after getting injured.

And ahead of the match, Sam was seen arriving at Old Trafford stadium in Manchester joined by player-turned-coach Wayne, 39. 

‘Wayne and the boys have arrived [laughing face],’ Sam wrote. ‘What a cool experience.’ 

From A-list scandals and red carpet mishaps to exclusive pictures and viral moments, subscribe to the DailyMail’s new Showbiz newsletter to stay in the loop.

Opening up about his injury, Sam spoke to This Morning hosts Alison Hammond and Dermot O’Leary.

He said: ‘I’m still very sore, still got the torn calf, however I am here at Soccer Aid HQ and it does not get better than this.

‘We’ve still got the management team of England, we’ve got Vicky McClure, Tyson Fury, who’s stepping into some new shoes and Harry Redknapp…’

He continued: ‘But also because I’m not going to be able to run around, you’ve also got me, part of the management team. Come on baby!’

It comes after it was revealed Sam and Louis Tomlinson are said to have held a Soccer Aid ‘peace dinner’ before their match to ease any tensions over Zara McDermott.

The pair have been training together for the charity event, which saw them come face-to-face for the first time since it emerged Louis, 33, was dating Sam’s ex Zara.

The dinner reportedly took place at Champneys in Tring, Herts with their other teammates in a bid to keep the peace ahead of the big game on Sunday.

A source told The Sun: ‘There is no beef between the pair and they’re both going to ensure their love lives don’t distract from such a big charity spectacle.

‘They are fully aware that their every move is being scrutinised and they’ve broken bread with their teammates, so it’ll be smooth sailing on the day.’ 

MailOnline has contacted reps for Louis and Sam.  

During an episode of their podcast last month, Pete Wicks, 37, teased Sam about the prospect of the potentially awkward encounter between him and Louis. 

The TOWIE star asked his co-host: ‘You’re really going through it with the whole f****** body and dieting and training loads. Is that for Soccer Aid?’

But, not dropping the subject, Pete then asked: ‘Any kind of people in there who you’re looking forward to playing with?’

‘Loads,’ Sam laughed: ‘Tom Grennan. I’m really looking forward to playing alongside Wayne Rooney, Tyson Fury’s the manager. I can’t wait’.

Pete joked: ‘I mean that’s gonna be f****** amazing. Make sure you get him on side though because you may need him in your corner in case you fall out with anyone. Not that you will but just in case there’s any rivalries or anything.

‘You know, you have to train together and it’s a lot, you know when you’re kind of in close quarters with someone like that. All sorts gets brought up. Anyway…’

Late last year I’m A Celebrity champ Sam, 32, split with former Love Island star Zara, 28, after five years together.

It was then revealed in March how Zara had moved on with former One Direction singer Louis.  

Sam has since moved on with Love Island beauty Samie Elishi, 25.

After their blossoming romance was confirmed when they shared a steamy kiss in Mayfair last month, speculation of a split grew after Samie was noticeably absent from Sam’s highly-publicised challenge for Soccer Aid.

Such rumours have since been squashed however, with their romance reportedly going from strength to strength as they ‘love spending time together on their days off’, a source close to the couple told MailOnline.