Premier League XI injured in international break, feat. Liverpool, Man Utd, City duos

Man Utd might struggle for full-backs in the wake of the international break, while Liverpool and Man City each may have lost two key players before their big clash.

Sunderland also face being without two big names when they return to Premier League action after the Nations League fixtures.

Here is a Premier League XI, playing in an adventurous 4-2-4, made up of players returning early to their clubs after being knacked doing their national duty…

GK: Zion Suzuki (Aston Villa) Villa fans may have panicked when it emerged the goalkeeper had missed Japan’s first game of the international break – a win over Uruguay – due to a rib injury, but Suzuki has since returned to action, playing a half against Venezuela and the full 90 minutes against Ecuador.

Still, Villa will need to learn how to do without their new stopper since he will miss several games in the new year due to the Asian Cup.

LB: Patrick Dorgu (Manchester United) “He has an injury and has to go home,” said Denmark coach Brian Riemer after the wide man limped off 30 minutes into the win over Wales with what appeared to be a hamstring issue.

Riemer reckons Dorgu made it “seven or eight” of the players who would normally be in his squad missed out through injury during this break.

RB: Noussair Mazraoui (Manchester United) Mazraoui hobbled off 69 nice minutes into Morocco’s 2-0 win over Lesotho. According to Sport Le 360, the versatile full-back turned in ‘a complete performance’ before being replaced by Achraf Hakimi.

CB: Dan Ballard (Sunderland) Ballard returned to Sunderland early in the break after sustaining a hamstring injury in Northern Ireland’s Nations League win over Georgia – a “bitter blow” according to Michael O’Neil. Ballard has only recently come back from a groin issue.

CB: Jan Paul van Hecke (Tottenham Hotspur) Van Hecke was sent back to Spurs after Netherlands’ 2-1 win over Serbia with an apparently foot injury. Tottenham were also sweating over Micky van de Ven but Xavi says his finger problem is “not a big injury”.

CM: Nico O’Reilly (Manchester City) Thomas Tuchel sent O’Reilly back to City and took Rico Lewis as a replacement ahead of the clash with Czechia on Tuesday. O’Reilly played the full game when England lost to Spain but sat out the first clash with Czechia last week before being returned to Manchester for ‘further assessment’.

CM: Alex Scott (Bournemouth) Bournemouth’s delight at Scott finally getting his first caps – playing very well too – was tempered by news that the midfielder has left the Three Lions camp early due to a quadriceps issue. Scott is set to miss the next set of internationals too amid fears of a two-month layoff.

LM: Cody Gakpo (Liverpool) Gakpo tried to carry on after an early reducer from Serbia’s Sasa Lukic in Netherlands’ 2-1 win but quickly realised he was in no fit state. Since returning to Merseyside, Liverpool have issued no update on the likely availability of their best player so far this season ahead of Manchester City’s visit on Sunday.

FWD: Alexander Isak (Liverpool) Isak was dispatched back to Liverpool with a thigh issue sustained in Sweden’s win over Romania. Graham Potter described it as a “small problem” but offered little clarity over the forward’s prospects of facing City:

FWD: Erling Haaland (Manchester City) Norway coach Stale Solbakken said he had a “heart-to-heart chat” with Haaland over the demands on the City forward since he gets so little rest as the main man for club and country. But, despite his coach admitting the forward was ‘tired’ against Wales, Haaland still started the defeat to Portugal on Sunday, during which he limped off after asking to be withdrawn midway through the second half.