Fernandes, Gakpo and Dorgu join international break injury list
Image source, AFP via Getty Images
Image caption, Portugal’s Bruno Fernandes, Netherlands’ Cody Gakpo and Denmark’s Patrick Dorgu have all had injury issues while on international duty
- Published1 hour ago
Bruno Fernandes, Cody Gakpo and Patrick Dorgu have all joined the international break’s high-profile injury list after suffering issues that have curtailed their involvement in Nations League matches.
After playing in Portugal’s win over Wales on Thursday, Manchester United captain Fernandes was not in the squad for Sunday’s fixture against Norway.
Prior to the match boss Jorge Jesus revealed, external Fernandes had “played through the pain” against Wales and “wasn’t his usual self”.
“He played with an injury he brought from Manchester United,” he said. “He really wanted to play against Wales.”
Meanwhile, both Fernandes’ United team-mate Dorgu and Liverpool striker Gakpo suffered injuries during games for their respective countries on Sunday.
Gakpo had to go off just 16 minutes into the Netherlands’ 2-1 win against Serbia, grimacing and holding the lower part of his right leg.
He has started the season well for Liverpool with two goals and four assists in six appearances across all competitions.
Dorgu, meanwhile, lasted 30 minutes before he limped off in Denmark’s 2-0 win against Wales.
The first international break of the 2026-27 men’s football season is lasting a week longer than it usually does, with the traditional October break now scrapped.
There is now a three-week gap for international fixtures across late September and early October, where countries will play four international matches instead of two.
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Who else has been injured?
Gakpo’s injury adds to Liverpool’s woes after Alexander Isak withdrew from Sweden duty with a minor thigh injury.
The striker played the full 90 minutes and scored a goal in his side’s 2-1 win on Friday over Romania in the Nations League.
However, he will not be involved in Sweden’s remaining three matches in this international break and assessed by his club’s medical staff.
On Thursday, Arsenal forward Kai Havertz and Sunderland’s Brian Brobbey both went off injured in the same game as the Netherlands drew with Germany.
German Havertz was caught on the knee by a high boot from Quinten Timber in Amsterdam and had to be replaced.
Netherlands forward Brobbey – off the back off a hat-trick in Sunderland’s 5-3 Premier League defeat by Manchester City – then appeared to suffer a muscle injury.
A further blow for Sunderland on this international break came as Dan Ballard suffered a hamstring injury late in Northern Ireland’s 1-0 win over Georgia on Friday.
Boss Michael O’Neill has confirmed the injury will rule him out of the national team’s remaining fixtures in this international break.
It is not just Premier League teams who are being impacted by injuries to their players while on international duty.
Real Madrid striker Kylian Mbappe has been ruled out for at least two weeks after injuring his knee while scoring the winner in Zinedine Zidane’s first game in charge of France.
He scored a record-extending 67th goal from Michael Olise’s pass to sink Turkey, but he was limping immediately and had to be replaced five minutes later.
Meanwhile, Bayern Munich’s Jamal Musiala suffered a muscle injury during the warm-up for the game against the Netherlands and had to withdraw.
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