Following the English Premier League and Championship, Spanish La Liga, French Ligue 1, and Dutch Eredivisie earlier this month, this is opening weekend for the German Bundesliga and Italy’s Serie A, bringing all of Europe’s top leagues into regular season action.
Yet a few high-profile American names may not feature. Here’s the latest status on some of the US Men’s National Team players who have been dealing with injuries.
Christian Pulisic (AC Milan)
AVAILABLE (vs Cremonese). Fully recovered from his pre-season ankle concern, Pulisic returned to full training and scored in Milan’s Coppa Italia opener. No setbacks have been reported, and he’s ready to feature versus Cremonese.
Antonee Robinson (Fulham)
DOUBTFUL (vs Manchester United). Robinson remains in recovery from May knee surgery. Though back in training, he’s not expected to start this weekend’s match against Manchester United. Manager Marco Silva said he will make a decision on Robinson after Saturday’s training session.
Ricardo Pepi (PSV)
QUESTIONABLE (vs Groningen). Pepi has been ruled out as a starter for PSV for Saturday’s match against Groningen due to a knee fluid accumulation. The knee has been drained and Pepi has been training. Manager Peter Bosz confirmed a cautionary approach: “He’s been out for a long time, so it’s logical that he needs some rest now and then. We’ll give him time. He’ll train again today, and then we’ll determine whether he’ll be in the squad tomorrow. However, he definitely won’t be in the starting lineup.” PSV will also be without the services of fellow striker Alassane Pléa (who suffered a serious knee injury in the previous match), leaving them with limited striker options on their roster.
Sergino Dest (PSV)
AVAILABLE (vs Groningen). Dest has fully recovered from his long-term ACL injury, which sidelined him for 11 months. Not only that, he’s started the new season with a bang: he scored the winning goal in PSV’s Johan Cruyiff Shield victory three weeks ago, and continued that the following week with a sharp goal versus Sparta Rotterdam. He will start again for PSV versus Groningen. The only question is whether he’ll shift to left back, where Mauro Júnior is out with a rolled ankle.
Folarin Balogun (Monaco)
PROBABLE (vs Lille). After missing the season opener due to a minor calf issue, Balogun has been cleared by the medical team. Manager Adi Hütter confirmed he’s fit and expected to play in the next match versus Lille.
Malik Tillman (Bayer Leverkusen)
OUT (vs Hoffenheim). Tillman is still recovering from a minor muscular strain and has been ruled out of Leverkusen’s season opener against Hoffenheim. Manager Erik ten Hag expects him to be available for their next match against Werder Bremen on August 30.
Kevin Paredes (Wolfsburg)
OUT (vs Heidenheim). Underwent successful foot surgery last week. Wolfsburg expects him to be sidelined for approximately 2–3 months, ruling him out of action through autumn.
Patrick Agyemang (Derby County)
OUT (vs Bristol City). Agyemang continues his recovery from summer hernia surgery and will miss the early weeks of the Championship season as he regains fitness.
Daryl Dike (West Bromwich Albion)
OUT (vs Portsmouth). Sidelined with a thigh injury sustained in training. The former Achilles sufferer is targeting a return to training after the September international break.
