Liverpool have been handed another injury worry as Cody Gakpo joins Alexander Isak in withdrawing during the international break.
Cody Gakpo will miss the rest of the international break and return to Liverpool after picking up an injury.
Cody Gakpo will miss the rest of the international break and return to Liverpool after picking up an injury.(Image: Getty Images)
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Liverpool star Cody Gakpo will miss the rest of the international break after suffering an ankle injury. The Dutch forward underwent scans on the issue after a crunching tackle from Sasa Lukic during Sunday's 2-1 win over Serbia.
Gakpo was forced off inside 20 minutes having tried to play through the issue, which saw the Ipswich Town midfielder slide in on the Reds man on the centre-circle.
It causes a headache for new Holland head coach but also for Liverpool boss Andoni Iraola as another key attacker has been forced into a premature Merseyside return through injury.
In a statement, Liverpool said: "Cody Gakpo has withdrawn from international duty for the Netherlands after sustaining an ankle injury.
"The forward had to be substituted during the first half of his country’s 2-1 win against Serbia on Sunday evening.
"He will not participate in the Dutch’s remaining two fixtures of the current international period.
"Gakpo will now return to Liverpool for further assessment by the club’s medical staff at the AXA Training Centre.
"The Reds are back in action when they host Manchester City in the Premier League next Sunday (October 11)."
Holland will play Greece in their next Nations League match before locking horns with Serbia in the final group match before the resumption of domestic football. Xavi's side face a must-win when they travel to Thessaloniki on Thursday as they sit two points behind Greece in the standings.
But it's a blow for Liverpool, who'll now assess the forward and face an anxious wait over whether he will be fit to face City in the showdown next month.
Gakpo has scored one goal and assisted three in the Premier League so far, with a goal in the draw with Newcastle United while providing two assists for Alexander Isak in the win over Ipswich.
The Swede also returned to the North West prematurely after picking up a minor injury during his time on duty with Graham Potter's side.
“He’s got a small problem with his thigh,” Potter said at his pre-match press conference ahead of Sweden’s clash with Poland. “It’s not a big one but because of the amount of games we’ve got in a small space of time, he won’t be able to make those.
“Not a big one but it's frustrating for him and obviously for us. It is what it is but we move forward with the players we have.
“It was during the game. Like anything, you sometimes get bumps and bruises in the game, you might think it’s a bit of a dead leg or something. But actually as the 24 hours, 48 hours after the game, not quite what you think.
“Unfortunately after getting it checked out, it’s a little bit more than what you think during the match. He has to miss the rest of the camp.
“Our medical team has been in contact with the club. Obviously it’s our decision in the first place because of his status, in terms of his injury. Once that’s the case, we have to inform everybody. That’s just normal.
“We’ve got a really big squad that we believe in. Clearly there’s not another Alexander Isak, that’s obvious.
“In an ideal world, we want all our players available but the reality is we don’t have Alex for this game… clearly whoever comes in, we’re not going to ask them to be Alex. They just need to be themselves in the best way they can.”