Football

Son Heung-min's inclusion in the South Korean squad for upcoming World Cup qualifiers has sparked concerns over his fitness, with coach Hong Myung-bo vowing to prioritize the Tottenham Hotspur star's health.Son missed several weeks of action with a hamstring injury and was substituted off in Tottenham's recent 4-1 victory over Aston Villa as a precautionary measure. Despite his return to action, Hong emphasized the need to manage Son's playing time carefully."We will monitor his playing time in the next two matches for Spurs and use that information to prepare for the November games," Hong said. "It's not appropriate to push him too hard on the national team just because he's back for his club."Hong acknowledged Son's desire to represent his country but stressed the importance of protecting his well-being. "I understand he wants to play for the national team, but our priority is his health," Hong added.South Korea currently leads their group in the third round of Asian qualifying for the 2026 World Cup, with three wins and a draw. Son's inclusion in the squad for the upcoming matches against Kuwait and Palestine is a testament to his importance to the team.However, Hong's cautious approach suggests that Son's playing time may be limited in these qualifiers. The coach's decision is likely influenced by the fact that Son has a history of hamstring injuries and is approaching the latter stages of his career.By managing Son's workload, Hong aims to ensure that the forward remains fit and available for both Tottenham and South Korea in the long run.

Liverpool's title hopes have been dealt a blow with the news that goalkeeper Alisson Becker will be sidelined for "a few weeks" due to a hamstring injury. The Brazilian international suffered the injury while making a clearance in Liverpool's 1-0 win against Crystal Palace on Saturday.Alisson was forced to limp off in the second half of the Premier League clash at Selhurst Park, with Czech international Vitezslav Jaros, 23, coming on to replace him. Liverpool boss Arne Slot admitted after the game that he does not expect to have his first-choice goalkeeper available for a while."What I do know is that when a player walks off like he did, it normally means he's not in the Brazil squad and I don't expect him to be in the team for the first match we play after the break," Slot said."We have to wait and see but it will be a few weeks for him to be back. I think it is, yes (his hamstring)."Alisson has been hampered by hamstring injuries in the past, and his latest setback will come as a major blow to Liverpool. The Reds are currently top of the Premier League table, but they will now have to cope without their first-choice goalkeeper for a significant period of time.Slot also confirmed that Alexis Mac Allister was replaced by Dominik Szoboszlai at half-time due to a groin injury. The extent of Mac Allister's injury is not yet known, but Slot said that he is unlikely to be fit for Argentina's upcoming international fixtures."How bad that is, it's not for me to judge at this moment," Slot said. "He felt it and said 'it's not good to keep on playing because it could be made worse'.""It's difficult for me to say if he can play for Argentina. It was in the groin area."Liverpool's next game is against Chelsea on October 1, following the international break. It remains to be seen whether Alisson will be fit enough to return for that match, but his absence would be a major blow to Liverpool's hopes of winning the Premier League title.

Lionel Messi's participation in Argentina's Copa America quarter-final clash against Ecuador remains uncertain due to a hamstring issue. Coach Lionel Scaloni will make a decision on Messi's availability after Wednesday's training session.Messi missed Argentina's final group stage match against Peru due to a sore right hamstring. Scaloni stated that he will consult with the 37-year-old forward to assess his readiness for the game."We'll wait a couple of hours and make the decision. It is always better to have one more day," Scaloni said. "Yesterday we had good feelings and we'll take this day to define the team based on the response we get today."If Messi is unable to start, Scaloni could opt for a twin-striker attack featuring Julian Alvarez and Lautaro Martinez. Martinez is the tournament's leading scorer with four goals, while Alvarez netted in the opening game against Canada."They have already played together against this rival. We will make the decision after today's training session. We are not ruling anything out because they have worked well and it is an option, it could be," Scaloni said.Ecuador coach Felix Sanchez does not anticipate a significant change in Argentina's approach, regardless of Messi's presence."We know we are playing a high level team, Lionel Messi is the player that makes the difference and we have played against them with him and without him on the field," Sanchez said. "Their gameplan doesn't change much - they are a group who have been with their head coach for a long time, they know their gameplan and we have had to be ready either way."Argentina will hold a training session later on Wednesday, and Scaloni will make a final decision on his team after evaluating Messi's condition and the team's overall performance.