Dominik Szoboszlai is missing Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Manchester City due to a hamstring issue, head coach Andoni Iraola has confirmed.
The influential Hungarian midfielder was previously considered as a guaranteed starter for Sunday’s high-profile showdown at Anfield, potentially in a more advanced role amid injuries sustained by the likes of Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo during the extended three-week international break.
No injury to Szoboszlai was mentioned in the build-up to City’s visit to Merseyside this weekend, but fears first emerged among Liverpool fans on Sunday morning that he could miss the game after he was absent from footage of the squad outside their team hotel that circulated on social media.
Those concerns proved to be well-founded, with the club’s reigning player of the season becoming the headline omission from their squad hours later.
Szoboszlai’s absence was reported to be due to a hamstring problem – something that was later confirmed by Iraola during his pre-match interview.
“Another one coming from the international games,” said the Liverpool boss on Sky Sports. “He came with an overload, he felt a tight hamstring.
“He’s tried somehow, kind of pushing through training, but he was not feeling 100 per cent and we will have to wait for Dom, yes.”