Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola has come under fire over his handling of Dominik Szoboszlai's knee injury during the team's victory against Crystal Palace. The midfielder needed treatment before half-time at Selhurst Park but carried on playing with his knee heavily strapped, before being substituted in the 69th minute.
Szoboszlai has since been cleared to join up with the Hungary squad for their Nations League fixtures against Georgia and Northern Ireland, but doubts remain over his fitness ahead of Saturday's match in Georgia.
Former captain criticises decision
Those concerns have been echoed by former Hungary captain and manager Janos Csank, who has condemned the Reds for not replacing Szoboszlai earlier. Speaking via Blikk, he said: "I was really annoyed. Szoboszlai went down on the pitch in the first half, and at half-time I was certain he wouldn't come back on for the second half."
"Then I saw him standing there on the pitch, with black tape on his leg, his knee. Then the manager [Andoni Iraola] starts sobbing that he is injured. He should have been substituted straight away; they were leading 1-0."
"Half-time comes, and then he sends him back on injured, with his knee bandaged. I'm losing my mind! I just don't get it."
Federation statement and manager's comments
A statement from the Hungarian Football Federation earlier this week read: "[Szoboszlai], who was substituted in the 69th minute of Liverpool's match yesterday, is undergoing tests following the usual protocol in such cases. We will, of course, keep the public informed of developments as soon as possible."
It was later confirmed that Szoboszlai would remain with the squad, a decision unlikely to have pleased Iraola. Speaking to the press after the match, the Reds manager conceded he would be reluctant to see Szoboszlai leave for international duty, while acknowledging the player's wish to represent his nation.
He said: "The last thing we need now is to lose players in the international games. Last time, we lost three very important players. It's the last thing we need, so I hope he can take care of it. I think he extended a little bit the knee, he was fine, but not 100 per cent."
"So he has to be careful to see if he can play with the national team or not, but also hope that it doesn't happen like the other international break when we lost Alex [Alexander Isak], Cody [Gakpo], Dom. So, touch wood, we are in a better place in two weeks."
