Dominik Szoboszlai is undergoing tests following an issue with his knee picked up at the weekend in Liverpool’s win at Crystal Palace. The Hungarian midfielder did seem in some discomfort just before halftime, but did come back out on the pitch with the addition of some form of knee brace at the start of the second half, coming off just before the 70th minute.
The Hungarian Football Federation have not provided any clarity beyond Andoni Iraola’s statements post-match, as Szoboszlai’s national team
awaits test results to determine his fitness in a process they describe as “following the usual protocol in such cases.”
Hungary are second in Group B2 in this round of the Nations League, a competition that was created in 2018. They next play against Georgia before facing off against Northern Ireland, who lead the group, on November 17th.
In his post-match comments, Iraola made it clear that he would prefer Szoboszlai to rest rather than going away with Hungary, but that he would not stop the player from leading his country in qualification-determining matches:
“I know he will do everything to go because he loves to play with the national team, but he was not 100% when he finished the game [against Palace].
“I suppose they will have to analyze, the medical staff, and see what it is.
“I know what I want, but I also have to understand the national teams. I’m sure that Dom, if he is fine he will want to go, but I’m not sure if he’s going to be fine.”
Reflecting on the last international break, Iraola reminded his audience how international duty injuries made domestic play more complicated:
“The last thing we need now is to lose players in the international games,” he said.
“Last time, in the international break, we lost three very important players, so now I’m praying – it’s the last thing we need.
“I think [Szoboszlai] extended a little bit the knee, it was fine, but not 100%, so he has to be careful to see if he can play with the national team or not.”
We should see in coming days whether Szoboszlai, who had been in and out of the squad with injury of late, will be able to travel for the November international break. The present break takes place from November 8th to the 16th and encompasses two matches in the eight days.
