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Due to minor injury concerns, Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo withdrew from the Japan squad moments before the team gathered for upcoming friendlies against Paraguay and Brazil.
It's been a concerning international break for Liverpool, with Endo pulling out at the last hour, and Ibrahima Konate withdrawing from the France national team. Liverpool faces Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday, and will attempt to end a rare three-game losing streak.
However, midfielder Ryan Gravenberch has suffered a minor hamstring injury while representing the Netherlands, and Endo is also dealing with a hamstring problem. Fortunately for Liverpool, Japan head coach Moriyasu Hajime doesn't expect it to be a serious injury.
When Japan announced that Endo had withdrawn from international duty, the Japanese FA initially stated that the midfielder had an unspecified injury. However, after a 2-2 draw against Paraguay, Hajime went into more detail about Endo's status.
"I was thinking about whether to call him up until the very last minute," Hajime said, per Nikkan Sports. "Asking him to come from Europe again would be a burden for him, so I thought that the current number would be enough."
Hajime also confirmed that Endo picked up the minor injury after coming off the bench for Liverpool in a 2-1 defeat to Chelsea. It was Liverpool's final game before the October international break.
Japan didn't play World Cup qualifiers this month, and Hajime decided not to risk Endo for exhibition games. Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has used Endo in various positions, with the Japan midfielder either sitting in front of the defense or dropping into a center-back role.
With potential injuries elsewhere in the squad, Endo's status may be extremely important for Slot ahead of Sunday's game against United. Konate also suffered an injury and withdrew from the France squad after being examined upon arrival.
A statement released by the France national team on Saturday read: "Injured in the right quadriceps during his last match with Liverpool, Ibrahima Konate has followed a treatment and protocol since his arrival this Monday, but will not be able to take his place against Iceland."
If Konate is unavailable for Liverpool on Sunday, then Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez will be the only healthy center-backs on the roster. Endo and Gravenberch have dropped back into defense when required, but the latter will require a fitness test at Anfield.
Gravenberch was substituted at halftime during the Netherlands' 4-0 win over Finland, and was replaced by Manchester City midfielder Tijjani Reijnders. After the game, the Netherlands head coach, Ronald Koeman, admitted that there was an injury concern.
"Ryan indicated that he had some minor hamstring problems," Koeman said. "So of course we didn’t take any risks with that."
However, Gravenberch confirmed he was "feeling good" and didn't appear concerned about the injury. "It had a bit to do with fitness," Gravenberch said. "The season is long, so it was a precaution, but I’m feeling good and I have the coach’s confidence."
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