Dominik Szoboszlai: Liverpool handed major injury boost for Manchester United showdown after worrying footage

Detailed summary

Liverpool midfielder admits he was close to pulling out of Hungary clash

Dominik Szoboszlai has provided Liverpool with a big injury boost, despite playing for Hungary with heavy strapping on his right knee.

Szoboszlai’s fitness for Hungary’s Nations League double-header was up in the air at the beginning of the week after Liverpool head coach Andoni Iraola admitted the midfielder was not at 100 percent.

This was after suffering a knee sprain in the 3-1 win over Crystal Palace, with Szoboszlai then linking up with his national team for further tests.

Fortunately for Liverpool - who host Manchester United in their first Premier League game after the international break - the feedback on the 26-year-old has been largely positive.

Amid worrying post-match comments and footage of Szoboszlai’s right knee being heavily strapped, he was able to complete 90 minutes of Hungary’s 2-0 win over Georgia and claimed an assist for Barnabas Varga.

"During the warm-up I was close to saying that I wouldn't be able to play after all,” Szoboszlai told reporters after the game. “I felt the injury during one of my shots.

“But I thought to myself that, having come this far, I wasn't going to let the team down. So I tried to give everything I had, as best as I could.

"My leg felt good, but now the treatment process starts all over again, and I need to be ready for Tuesday."

Hungary are next in action on Tuesday night as they host Northern Ireland in decisive final game from Nations League B, Group 2.

Opening of the article, excerpted from Evening Standard. To read the rest, open the article on the publisher's site.