International Break Claims More Premier League Casualties as Clubs Count the Cost
by Devesh Jaganath | by Devesh Jaganath
Premier League Players Injured During the International Break
With an extended international break comes greater exposure to injury, and Premier League clubs have already felt the impact, with a number of big-name players suffering setbacks while representing their countries over the past three weeks.
Those that have avoided knocks have had very little time to rest, as the UEFA Nations League ran upto Tuesday night when England faced Czechia, while North American, Central American, and Caribbean stars were in action as recently as Wednesday morning.
Heading into Matchday 6, which is headlined by blockbusters between Liverpool and Manchester City and Saturday’s ‘El Sackico’ at Old Trafford, where Man United face Spurs, here are the players who could be on the sidelines.
Arsenal
Arsenal return to Premier League action in the lunchtime kickoff on Saturday against Leeds United, and they are expected to be without Kai Havertz, who picked up an injury in Germany’s opening match against the Netherlands.
Christos Tzolis only lasted 18 minutes for Greece against the Dutch last week, and he is expected to be out for at least three weeks, while Ezri Konsa is listed as a major doubt after withdrawing from the England squad ahead of their match against Czechia.
Bournemouth
Arguably the biggest storyline of the international break surrounded Bournemouth’s Alex Scott. Last Saturday, the 23-year-old produced a stunning performance on debut for the Three Lions in the 7-0 demolition of Croatia, but by Monday he was on a plane home facing six to eight weeks out.
Scott has been the standout performer for the Cherries since last season and attracted interest from the likes of Man United and Real Madrid this summer. His absence is a huge blow to Marco Rose’s side, which is still winless after five games this term.
Liverpool
Alexander Isak’s start to life at Anfield has been something of a nightmare due to injury setbacks, and after a promising start to this season, the Swede may be back on the treatment table after withdrawing from the national team last week.
Cody Gakpo has already notched up four goal contributions in five matches this season, but his availability for this weekend is up in the air after picking up an ankle issue with the Netherlands. Jeremy Jacquet is also a doubt after being ruled out of France’s squad against Belgium.
Manchester City
Premier League leaders Manchester City were given a major scare on Sunday when Erling Haaland limped off against Portugal. Stale Solbakken explained that the City marksman was struggling with fatigue after the match, which puts his availability for this weekend at risk.
England had a handful of notable withdrawals in the lead-up to the international break, which forced Tuchel to rely on several players for all four of their games. Nico O’Reilly returned from the camp early after picking up an injury during training.
Manchester United
Patrick Dorgu missed a large chunk of last season through injury, and he is now facing another stint on the sidelines after limping out of Denmark’s match against Wales. The extent of his injury is yet to be revealed, but he is all but certain to miss this weekend’s clash against Spurs.
Noussair Mazraoui also returned to Old Trafford early after being forced out of Morocco’s Africa Cup of Nations qualifier against Lesotho, while Marcus Rashford and Kobbie Mainoo did not join the Three Lions for the international break due to fitness concerns.
Tottenham Hotspur
An under-pressure Roberto De Zerbi was dealt a double blow ahead of his side’s trip to Old Trafford this weekend - a match that many feel could be the start of the end of his tenure if the Lilywhites are unable to get a positive result.
Jan Paul van Hecke was forced to withdraw from the Netherlands camp with an injury, while his compatriot Micky van de Ven was subbed off against Serbia with a knock. Both players are now facing a race against the clock to feature for Spurs this weekend.
Sunderland and Brentford Among Other Clubs Sweating Over Fitness Concerns
Sunderland went into the international break off the back of an eight-goal thriller against Man City, and they return to action at the Stadium of Light against Brighton this weekend, but they may have to make do without two of their standout performers over the early stages of the season.
Brian Brobbey, who scored a hat-trick against the Citizens, was forced off in the 35th minute of the match between Netherlands and Germany, while Ballard suffered a hamstring injury during Northern Ireland’s victory over Georgia - both players are expected to miss out this weekend.
Mikkel Damsgaard was Denmark’s best player during the international break, scoring two goals and providing one assist in his three games, but he missed their final fixture against Portugal with an ankle issue and is listed as questionable for MD6.
Crystal Palace defender Anan Khalaili looks set to miss the visit from Forest after sitting out Israel’s draw with Ireland. Everton’s Vitali Mykolenko is a doubt after missing Ukraine’s final two matches, and Hull have similar worries surrounding Swedish defender Elliot Stroud.
Aston Villa shot stopper Zion Suzuki suffered a rib injury in Japan’s second game of the international break but managed to feature twice since, which will be a major relief for Unai Emery, whose side are languishing in 16th place after five games.
