Premier League injury tracker: players hurt on international duty
Last updated: 6 October 2026. The Premier League resumes on Saturday 10 October.
Every manager dreads the same message during an international break: a player has limped off, and nobody can say how badly. This year the wait lasted three weeks and up to four matches per country. By Tuesday, Arsenal, Liverpool, Sunderland and Tottenham had all lost players, and Manchester City were waiting on a left-back. This Premier League injury tracker shows who is hurt, who is doubtful and what to check before Matchweek 6.
Key takeaways
- The Premier League returns on Saturday 10 October with Matchweek 6, after a three-week gap.
- Arsenal lost Kai Havertz and Christos Tzolis. Liverpool wait on Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo before hosting Manchester City.
- Return dates marked “projected” come from outlets, not clubs.
- Thursday and Friday press conferences will settle most doubts.
Why this international break hurt more
FIFA merged the September and October windows this year. Instead of two short camps, national teams could play up to four matches in a 16-day spell, PremierLeagueNow reported. The Premier League stopped after Matchweek 5 on 20 September. Arsenal host Leeds at 12.30pm on 10 October.
Not every name below got hurt on duty. Some players left clubs carrying problems, and some withdrew before kick-off. So the list has two parts: players hurt in action or in camp, and players who withdrew or arrived with issues.
Some teams play again on Tuesday night, including England against Czechia at Wembley. The list may grow.
Premier League injuries from the break
Hurt on international duty
| Club | Player | Duty | What happened | Latest status |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Kai Havertz | Germany | Muscle strain, per the German FA, after a collision with Quinten Timber v Netherlands | Scanned. No timeframe, but “weeks not months”. Late October or November projected |
| Arsenal | Christos Tzolis | Greece | Hamstring problem. Off after 19 minutes v Netherlands | Out for Leeds. About three weeks. Everton (24 Oct) projected |
| Arsenal | Max Dowman | England U19 | Impact injury | Could feature v Leeds |
| Bournemouth | Alex Scott | England | Quad injury, per Tuchel, after his first senior start (7-0 v Croatia) | Ruled out of the Czechia game. Early reports suggest several weeks |
| Brentford | Mikkel Damsgaard | Denmark | Ankle injury late in 4-2 loss to Portugal | Missed the Wales game. Fitness for Aston Villa (10 Oct) unconfirmed |
| Chelsea | Mike Penders | Belgium | Quad injury | Return unknown |
| Chelsea | Jamie Gittens | England U21 | Ankle. Left the stadium on crutches, per the Evening Standard | Return unknown |
| Liverpool | Cody Gakpo | Netherlands | Ankle, after a challenge from Serbia’s Sasa Lukic. Off after about 17 minutes | Scanned. No club diagnosis. A Dutch reporter says “several weeks”. Doubt for City |
| Liverpool | Alexander Isak | Sweden | “Small problem with his thigh”, per Sweden boss Graham Potter | Hoped fit for City (11 Oct) |
| Man City | Nico O’Reilly | England | “Fitness issue” after 90 minutes v Spain, then missed training | Returned to City on 1 October for assessment. Doubt for Anfield |
| Man Utd | Patrick Dorgu | Denmark | Suspected hamstring injury. Off after about 30 minutes v Wales | Return unknown |
| Man Utd | Noussair Mazraoui | Morocco | Hip or lower-back problem. Off after 69 minutes v Lesotho | Return unknown. Serious doubt v Spurs |
| Sunderland | Brian Brobbey | Netherlands | Suspected hamstring injury v Germany (24 Sept) | Club has not confirmed severity. Doubt v Brighton |
| Sunderland | Dan Ballard | Northern Ireland | Hamstring. Pulled up v Georgia | Scanned. Major doubt v Brighton |
| Tottenham | Jan Paul van Hecke | Netherlands | Foot injury after being stamped on v Serbia | Left the squad on 30 September. Return unknown |
| Tottenham | Micky van de Ven | Netherlands | Finger or wrist injury v Serbia. Xavi: “not a big injury” | Projected fit for Man Utd (10 Oct) |
Withdrew from squads or arrived with problems
| Club | Player | Issue | Status |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arsenal | Ezri Konsa | Discomfort on arrival, then a knock. Left England camp on 5 October | Tuchel: nothing major, but not worth the risk. Leeds availability unclear |
| Arsenal | William Saliba | Back problem since the World Cup. Yet to play this season | November or December projected |
| Arsenal | Declan Rice | Skipped England duty for load management. Neural hamstring pain | Expected fit for Leeds |
| Arsenal | Ben White, Cristhian Mosquera, Piero Hincapié | Groin, hamstring and muscular problems | Back in training. Expected fit for Leeds |
| Chelsea | Cole Palmer | Minor muscular problem. Withdrew from England | Bournemouth (10 Oct) projected |
| Chelsea | João Pedro | Knee, since the draw with Hull. Missed Brazil duty | Bournemouth projected |
| Chelsea | Reece James | Hamstring. Missed England duty | Bournemouth projected |
| Man City | Antoine Semenyo | Swollen leg. Withdrew from Ghana | Hoped fit for Liverpool. No timetable |
| Man Utd | Bruno Fernandes | “Complicated” pre-existing injury, per Jorge Jesus. Played v Denmark | Expected fit for Spurs |
| Man Utd | Benjamin Sesko | Shin injury flared. Withdrew from Slovenia | Return unknown |
| Newcastle | Tino Livramento | Muscle injury. Withdrew from England | Monitor |
Projected return dates come from outlets such as Football London and the Evening Standard. Clubs have not confirmed them. Scott’s case is disputed: Bournemouth are reportedly unhappy that he played, while Tuchel says England took no unnecessary risk.
Arsenal: Havertz and Tzolis leave Arteta short up front
Arsenal won the league in May and enter Matchweek 6 without two forwards. A 3-0 defeat at Brighton ended their winning start before the break, Yahoo Sports reported. Havertz has started every league game, and only Gabriel and David Raya have played more minutes, Football365 noted. Tzolis, a summer signing, will miss Leeds and probably the trip to Nottingham Forest on 18 October. Bayern Munich arrive three days later.
That leaves Viktor Gyökeres, who has played 29 league minutes this season. The simple answer is to start him. The harder question is whether he is sharp enough. Arteta has not said.
The defence looks healthier. White, Mosquera and Hincapié are back in training, and Football London expects all three to be available. Saliba is out until November at the earliest. Konsa is the unknown. A youth option exists too, as Football London says 16-year-old Max Dowman could feature despite his knock.
The other big worries: Liverpool, City, United, Sunderland and Spurs
Liverpool host City on Sunday at 4.30pm. City won all five league games before the break, and Liverpool are unbeaten. Isak and Gakpo scored five of Liverpool’s seven league goals, ESPN noted. Isak’s problem is described as minor. Gakpo’s is unclear.
City have doubts of their own. O’Reilly and Semenyo are both unresolved. Erling Haaland asked off after 67 minutes for Norway. Coach Ståle Solbakken said the change was planned workload management, and that Haaland was “thoroughly spent”, Yahoo Sports reported.
Manchester United host Spurs on Saturday at 5.30pm, with Dorgu, Mazraoui and Sesko doubtful. Spurs arrive bottom of the table and winless in five. Van Hecke has started every one of their league games.
Sunderland face a harder week. Brobbey scored a hat-trick in the 5-3 defeat at City on 20 September, then pulled up for the Netherlands. A former PSV doctor called the injury “very serious” on Dutch media, but that is not a club diagnosis. Ballard is also doubtful, and Sunderland host Brighton on Saturday.
What it means for FPL managers
Matchweek 6 is Gameweek 6 in Fantasy Premier League. Three rules help.
- Wait for the press conferences. Managers usually speak one or two days before kick-off, so most doubts clear on Thursday or Friday. Don’t take a -4 hit before then unless a player is certain to miss out.
- Treat projected dates as guesses. Palmer, João Pedro and James all have Bournemouth listed. Chelsea have not confirmed any of them.
- Keep one eye on Sunday. The FPL deadline falls before Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off, so Friday’s press conferences are usually your last word on Isak, Gakpo, O’Reilly and Semenyo.
A hit costs four points. One missed week for a bench player rarely justifies it.
Is the calendar too congested?
This break does not prove the calendar causes injuries. Some players arrived hurt. Some knocks came from tackles, as with Gakpo, van Hecke and Havertz.
The muscle problems point elsewhere. Brobbey, Ballard and Dorgu all pulled up without contact, according to reports. Sixteen players across nine clubs appear in the first table, and the second table adds more.
PFA chief executive Maheta Molango called the system “sick” after Palmer withdrew from England. He wants a mandatory three-week summer break. The Premier League’s chief football officer, Rebecca Caplehorn, said that is not viable at present, ESPN reported. Tuchel had said Palmer “misses too many opportunities”.
My view is that the calendar is too crowded at the top end, and the merged window has not fixed it. It cuts travel, but not minutes. Haaland started three Norway games in about a week and completed all 90 in each, then asked off in the fourth. The next break runs from 9 November. Clubs will hope this list stops growing before then.
Frequently asked questions
What is the “FIFA virus” in football?
It is an informal term, not a medical one. Fans and managers use it for the pattern of club players returning hurt from international duty, often blamed on travel and fixture congestion.
When does the Premier League return?
On Saturday 10 October with Matchweek 6. Arsenal v Leeds kicks off at 12.30pm. Liverpool v Manchester City is on Sunday at 4.30pm.
When do Premier League managers give injury updates?
Usually at pre-match press conferences one or two days before kick-off. For weekend games, that normally means Thursday or Friday.
Which Premier League players are injured after the international break?
See the two tables above. The main concerns are Havertz and Tzolis (Arsenal), Gakpo and Isak (Liverpool), O’Reilly (Manchester City), Brobbey and Ballard (Sunderland), and Dorgu and Mazraoui (Manchester United).
How we compiled this list: We used national-team statements, club announcements and reports from ESPN, Yahoo Sports, Football London, Football365, the Sunderland Echo and liverpool.com. We excluded older reports and uncorroborated claims. We will update this page after Thursday and Friday press conferences.
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