Swansea City's international break was eventful for several players, with Irish striker Adam Idah embroiled in a racism storm, Eom Jisung earning a military exemption, and Ross Stewart returning to training.
Idah's eventful Nations League campaign
Adam Idah played in all four of Ireland's Nations League games, including two ill-tempered clashes with Israel. The first meeting, held in Hungary due to political tensions, saw pressure from fans and politicians for Ireland to pull out in protest at Israel's actions in Gaza. The players, including Idah, decided to play but did not shake hands with their counterparts and bowed their heads during the Israeli national anthem.
They wore black armbands in remembrance of lives lost in Gaza, which has claimed around 77,000 lives, mostly Palestinian. Idah scored in the first game, which was marred by accusations that Israeli fans subjected him to racist chants. Ireland won 3-0, but the war of words has continued since.
Eom's Asian Games triumph and exemption
Swans winger Eom Jisung inspired South Korea to Asian Games success, scoring the winner over hosts Japan in the final to secure a fourth successive title. He ended the tournament with four goals and three assists. As an Asian Games champion, Eom and his team-mates earned an exemption from mandatory military service, though they still must complete basic training lasting less than a month.
Stephen Welsh shone on his international debut for Scotland, facing Slovenia's Zan Vipotnik, who came off the bench. Vipotnik scored against Switzerland ahead of the return game. Elijah Just and Marko Stamenic were away with New Zealand, and Filip Lissah linked up with Czechia's under-21s.
Stewart's return and other injury news
Vitor Matos hoped injured players would progress during the break. The club shared Cameron Burgess' recovery from a potential season-ending Achilles injury via a YouTube video. In one clip, Burgess says: "Feel a bit like woozy, I suppose. Nah it was good. All went well, so that's good. Just ready for the drive back to Swansea, now. Got a few painkillers to get me through it, so happy as can be."
Ross Stewart, recovering from a quad injury, appeared in training with the squad on Tuesday, suggesting he is closing in on a return. Full-back Josh Key remains sidelined with a hamstring injury.
Friendly defeat and upcoming challenges
Swansea lost 2-0 to Nottingham Forest in a friendly, with goals from James McAtee and Liam Delap. Matos acknowledged the challenge of the break, saying: "We need to take care of the players who stay here, keep developing them. Of course, working on dynamics is not as easy, but you can still refine a few aspects, you can still take care of the players."
Some players, like Lawrence Vigouroux and Stephen Eustaquio, return late from international duty. Matos added: "And then some players will only return on Thursday [before Norwich], which means then we have Friday and then we have a game on Saturday so not ideal, but you just have to put up with it. That's the truth."
