Liverpool’s build-up to their meeting with Manchester City has been disrupted by uncertainty over Jeremy Jacquet, after the defender missed France’s squad for Monday’s match with Belgium.

Jacquet had been expected to start again, but the national team confirmed a muscular issue days before Liverpool return to Premier League action against the current leaders on Sunday. The French federation described the problem as a “strain to his left hamstring,” while Zidane played it down as “a knock.”

The timing is awkward for Liverpool, with Andoni Iraola potentially forced to prepare for the visit without his preferred partner for Virgil van Dijk. Jacquet has started all six of Liverpool’s Premier League and Champions League matches this season, quickly establishing himself in the side.

His rise has not been entirely straightforward. The former Rennes defender has previously dealt with minor muscular problems, including a calf issue that ruled him out for two games in the middle of 2025. More significant was the shoulder injury that ended his Rennes spell early. After agreeing to join Liverpool, he needed surgery and was sidelined for four months.

Liverpool have taken care to manage his workload since then. Last month, Iraola said: “In the first games, he was feeling the change of rhythm physically. He was finishing with cramps and really tired so we had to sub him,” while after the win over Bournemouth he added: “He looked solid until the end and I think he’s finished physically also in a good place.”

For now, though, the concern is the latest setback. The limited information makes the outlook hard to judge, and a hamstring strain can vary widely in recovery time. Jacquet completed both of his international appearances over the break, which may point to a precautionary withdrawal rather than something more serious.

Van Dijk has already pointed to the defender’s promise, saying: “So far, it is good,” the wary veteran warned last month. “He is 21 years old and very promising, but it is up to him to keep working hard and staying calm. It’s a big credit to him how he started his Liverpool career, but we are in September. Hopefully there are years of his Liverpool career left.”

Liverpool will now wait on Jacquet’s condition before the next run of fixtures.

Norway manager Ståle Solbakken has moved to ease concern over Erling Haaland after the forward was withdrawn early, framing the decision as the result of exhaustion rather than anything more serious. He pointed to what he called a relentless workload, saying it is all part of an increasingly punishing football calendar.

“There are many players who are really exhausted,” Solbakken explained. “[Sander] Berge and [Martin] Ødegaard are practically scraping rock bottom. Erling was digging deep for a long time. I think he took a real beating and served as an excellent target man. We were hoping for 60, and he managed 65. That’s a lot of positives.”

Going into the match against Portugal in Porto, Haaland already knew he might not complete the full game. There was some thought given to protecting him for the second half, but that plan was quickly ruled out.

“He put in a good 60 minutes today,” Solbakken reasoned. “He played two full 90-minute matches against Denmark and Portugal. He was tired against Wales. That’s why we had a heart-to-heart yesterday. We went through the various possibilities.

“He could perhaps have played the last 45 minutes against Portugal. That was a topic of discussion. But he has a really bad feeling about that kind of thing. He’s had experiences where he was brought on in the League Cup, and it didn’t go particularly well. I’m very pleased that he managed to dig deep and deliver a good 60 minutes.”

With Norway’s internationals complete and Manchester City not back in action until Sunday’s trip to Anfield, Haaland now has a brief break. Norwegian outlet Dagbladet reported that he travelled from Portugal to Málaga for some warm weather after the fixture.

Solbakken was blunt about the broader strain on players, especially those in the Champions League and those with limited rest after major summer tournaments. “It’s a grueling schedule,” he lamented. “For those playing in the Champions League who’ve had little time off, it’s more brutal than for the others. Especially for the players who didn’t get a summer break because of the World Cup and going deep into the tournament. We did that.

“Having so little vacation and then heading straight into high-intensity leagues—and then you have this international break on top of that—it’s not about making excuses. It’s just insane. Especially for the smaller nations.”

Haaland remains near the top of the minutes table despite the heavy load, sitting third on 2,789 minutes. He is, as the draft notes, a victim of his own success: too important to leave out, and now feeling the strain that comes with that demand.

Former Leeds United manager Jesse Marsch has reignited debate around Manchester City’s finances after questioning how the club secured Erling Haaland for $66 million (£52 million) in 2022.

Speaking to The Guardian, Marsch, now the Canada boss, did not hold back as he looked back on the controversy surrounding City. “I think Man City should be punished severely,” Marsch said. “I think they should have to go down, and by the way, everyone knew about it. Everyone knew.

“That summer [2022], us and Man City were the only teams that said we made money. For us, we did make money, because we sold Raphinha, we sold Kalvin Phillips. We had a lot left over from what we bought. At the time, we weren’t in a position financially to not save. Our ownership didn’t have deep pockets. Whereas when Man City says this, I was literally like, ‘Are you kidding me? Is this some kind of joke?’

“When they said they got Erling Haaland for £52 million, it’s like: ‘Yeah, O.K., sure!’ So, I knew there were inconsistencies in it, but what can you do? You just put your arms in the air and go, ‘This is football.’”

Haaland’s move stood out in a summer when Manchester United signed Antony in a deal worth $99 million (£85 million), Darwin Núñez joined Liverpool for a similar figure and Alexander Isak moved from Real Sociedad to Newcastle United for $71 million (£60 million).

The explanation, however, was straightforward. Haaland had a release clause in his contract at that value, and reports suggested it only became active in the summer of 2022. City moved swiftly to get ahead of the competition.

The striker had also been wanted by Chelsea 12 months earlier. Sky in Germany reported that a swap bid involving either Tammy Abraham or Callum Hudson-Odoi failed, while other reports claimed Chelsea were prepared to spend close to £135 million.

“That would be a lot of money for one player,” Haaland said at the time.

Dortmund had no legal requirement to sell him in 2021, but the following summer the release clause changed everything. “In the end, the truth is that we gave him a release clause, otherwise he would have gone to Manchester United,” former Dortmund executive Hans-Joachim Watzke said.

The official fee was £52 million, but that figure did not tell the full story.