Liverpool have been dealt an injury concern after Argentina manager Lionel Scaloni confirmed that Alexis Mac Allister has arrived for international duty with a reported issue.
Mac Allister missed training due to the problem and is now a potential doubt for Argentina’s upcoming 2026 World Cup qualifier against Chile.
The 25-year-old has been a key figure for Arne Slot’s side this season, consistently delivering strong performances, including his standout display in Liverpool’s 3-0 victory over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday.
Scaloni has stated that Mac Allister reported ‘in pain’ and the Argentina medical team is currently assessing his condition after he sat out of the initial training session.
“Alexis didn’t train because he was overloaded, he was in pain,” Scaloni told TyC Sports.
“It always happens to us, they come out to do their part.
“We’ll wait and see how he responds today.
“It doesn’t change our way of playing much because we’ll stay the same, but it’s true that he gives us play, set-pieces.
“The rest of the team is more or less decided.”
Argentina face Chile in the early hours of Friday morning (UK time) before travelling to Colombia next Tuesday.
It remains to be seen what role Alexis Mac Allister will play in either match.
Despite a potential issue, Mac Allister has stayed with the Argentina national team.
Meanwhile, Liverpool teammate Harvey Elliott has withdrawn from the England Under-21 squad due to an injury.
An official statement from the Young Lions confirmed that the 21-year-old, along with three other players, had returned to their clubs for “further medical assessment” after initially reporting to St. George’s Park earlier in the week.
Tom Fellows, @Jonathanrowe__ and @matt_cox01 have joined our #YoungLions squad ahead of their upcoming #U21EURO qualifying fixtures… pic.twitter.com/lKNwp0Ooxu
— England (@England) September 4, 2024
Elliott was a standout performer for Liverpool during pre-season but has found himself behind Dominik Szoboszlai in the pecking order since the start of the Premier League campaign.
His only appearance under manager Arne Slot this season was a seven-minute cameo against Brentford.
Elliott was also an unused substitute in the match against Manchester United on Sunday.
Slot addressed Elliott’s limited game time in his pre-match press conference ahead of the clash with Manchester United.
“I think the disadvantage for some of them without having a lot of playing time is we only have one game a week, so we don’t have to manage game time in that perspective,” he said.
“Harvey came in 10 minutes, it’s not a lot but he – like some others who are not playing – has a lot of competition.
“That’s one of the reasons why we only brought in one player because we think we have a lot of good players and we already have a lot of competition.
“Harvey will get, in my opinion, a lot of playing time if he keeps doing what he does at the moment – work really hard, show his quality when he comes in.
“He already showed his quality in pre-season, but he is in competition at this moment.
“If you look at the player who is playing in his position, it is Dom Szoboszlai, who has done well in the first two games as well.
“It’s a luxury to have the choice between the two of them.”
Liverpool will resume their Premier League campaign at home against Nottingham Forest on Saturday, September 14.
Manager Arne Slot is expected to provide an injury update during his pre-match press conference.
In addition to uncertainties surrounding Alexis Mac Allister and Harvey Elliott, Curtis Jones has missed Liverpool’s last two matches due to injury.
Meanwhile, summer signing Federico Chiesa was absent from Liverpool’s trip to Manchester United because of a lack of match fitness.
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