Two forwards, two international breaks, one looming fixture. Liverpool's October 11 Premier League meeting with Manchester City now carries a medical asterisk after Cody Gakpo was forced off 17 minutes into the Netherlands' 2-1 Nations League win in Serbia on Sunday, following a hard tackle minutes earlier.
"It's his ankle, that's all I know," Netherlands boss Xavi Hernández said. "Tomorrow we will know, but hopefully it's not too important." Gakpo had scored in the 1-1 draw with Germany on Thursday, Xavi's first match in charge. The Dutch next visit Greece on Thursday before hosting Serbia on Oct. 4.
The timing compounds a day that had already turned awkward for Liverpool. Alexander Isak is returning from Sweden's camp due to a minor injury, with a club statement confirming he will miss Sweden's three remaining fixtures in the current international break and be assessed by medical staff at the AXA Training Centre. Both players have started the season strongly, which is precisely why the club will want clarity fast.
OneTouch's read: the Gakpo situation is the more pressing of the two, given the mechanism — a hard tackle, an ankle, an early exit — tends to carry a longer tail than the vague "minor" label attached to Isak. Liverpool's medical staff will know more on Monday. The concrete follow-up is the Oct. 11 trip to face Manchester City, and whether either forward is available for it.
Sources — synthesized from 8 reports across 3 outlets
