Gakpo, Dorgu and Fernandes hit by injuries in punishing international break
Cody Gakpo lasted 16 minutes. Patrick Dorgu managed 30. Bruno Fernandes did not make it out at all.
The September international break has turned into a nervous wait for Liverpool and Manchester United, after all three were curtailed by injury problems on Nations League duty, UEFA's competition for national teams BBC Sport.
Gakpo was the most worrying sight. The Liverpool forward went down holding the lower part of his right leg during the Netherlands' 2-1 win over Serbia on Sunday 27 September and had to be helped away. He was pictured holding his ankle before medical staff reached him Yahoo Sports.
It cuts across a sharp start to the season. Gakpo had two goals and four assists in six appearances for Liverpool in all competitions before joining up with the Dutch squad.
Dorgu's afternoon ended early too. The Manchester United defender limped off after half an hour of Denmark's 2-0 win against Wales on the same day. Denmark's medical staff signalled straight away that he could not continue.
Fernandes is a different case. He played in Portugal's win over Wales on Thursday, then was left out of the squad entirely for Sunday's game against Norway.
Portugal boss Jorge Jesus said afterwards that Fernandes had "played through the pain" against Wales and "wasn't his usual self". Jesus added that the midfielder arrived from Manchester United carrying the injury.
There is more football than usual packed into this break. The first international window of the 2026-27 men's season is running a week longer than normal, with the traditional October break scrapped. Countries will play four matches instead of two across a three-week gap covering late September and early October.
That load is starting to tell elsewhere. Liverpool striker Alexander Isak scored and played the full 90 minutes in Sweden's 2-1 Nations League win over Romania on Friday, then withdrew from the squad with a minor thigh injury. He will miss Sweden's remaining three matches in the break.
France have lost their captain. Kylian Mbappe injured his knee scoring the winner against Turkey, the first game with Zinedine Zidane in charge. It was his 67th goal for France, made by Michael Olise's pass, and he was replaced five minutes later. He is ruled out for at least two weeks.
The Netherlands against Germany on Thursday was costly for both sides. Kai Havertz was replaced after being caught on the knee by a high boot from Quinten Timber in Amsterdam, while Brian Brobbey appeared to suffer a muscle injury in the same draw. Germany's Jamal Musiala did not even make kick-off, pulling out with a muscle injury in the warm-up.
Northern Ireland also took a hit. Defender Dan Ballard suffered a hamstring injury late in Friday's 1-0 win over Georgia and will miss the rest of the break.
What makes this stand out is the timing. Club managers have barely found a rhythm and already they are counting down to the next fitness update. For fans, this means an anxious few days of scans and squad lists before the Premier League returns.
