Having been forced off through injury for Argentina on Thursday night, more details of Alexis Mac Allister‘s injury have emerged.
Liverpool face Nottingham Forest in the Premier League in one week but there is some doubt over whether their No. 8 will be fit for the match.
After scoring a great opener for Argentina against Chile earlier this week, the midfielder had to leave the pitch in the 79th minute due to an injury concern which caused Mac Allister “discomfort,” according to manager Lionel Scaloni.
We now have more details of the problem which journalist Gaston Edul of TyC Sports claimed was “adductor discomfort.”
The reporter added: “He will train differently until Tuesday to be able to get ready for the game against Colombia.”
That match against Diaz’s Colombia kicks off at 9.30pm (BST) on Tuesday and is a part of South America’s World Cup qualifying process.
Currently, having beaten Chile 3-0, Argentina sit top of the qualifying group with 18 points from seven games.
Below them lie Darwin Nunez‘s Uruguay with four fewer points, and one point further back are Colombia who drew 1-1 against Peru on Friday night.
Making up the top four are Brazil. Alisson played 90 minutes as Dorival Junior’s side beat Ecuador 1-0 thanks to a strike from Real Madrid‘s Rodrygo that was assisted by Lucas Paqueta.
If Argentina are optimistic that Mac Allister will be able to play on Tuesday, then the signs are good that he will be fit for Liverpool’s match on Saturday.
However, the Reds would prefer for Scaloni to leave Mac Allister out entirely rather than rush him back into action.
This is especially the case given the incredible amount of football the 25-year-old has played over the last year.
Mac Allister already missed training in the buildup to the Chile game due to load management, with this now a possible concern for both club and country.
After a debut season at Anfield in which only Virgil van Dijk and Luis Diaz played more minutes, the Argentine played six games for his country over the summer, two of which went to extra time.
In fact, Mac Allister only finished for the summer on July 14 after Argentina’s Copa America triumph.
By the time he returned to Liverpool training, there were just two weeks until the Reds’ Premier League opener against Ipswich.
