Plymouth Argyle international round-up: Three players ruled out by injuries
The Plymouth Argyle trio of Conor Hazard, Brendan Galloway and Darko Gyabi have all missed out on international duty over the past few days due to injuries.
However, the quartet of Mustapha Bundu, Ibrahim Cissoko, Freddie Issaka and Ben Waine - who made a season-long loan move to League One outfit Mansfield Town at the end of the summer transfer window - have been away representing their respective countries.
Hazard joined up with the Northern Ireland squad ahead of their opening two games in the League C3 of the UEFA Nations League but manager Michael O'Neill revealed the goalkeeper had picked up an injury and was being assessed by Argyle.
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There has been no further details on the injury, or the severity of it. Argyle head coach Wayne Rooney will be asked about it at his next Press conference later this week, ahead of the Championship clash against table-topping Sunderland at Home Park on Saturday.
Hazard has started all four league games this term, while Dan Grimshaw was brought in from Blackpool on a permanent transfer to compete with him to be the Pilgrims' first choice 'keeper after Michael Cooper joined Sheffield United.
Northern Ireland beat Luxembourg 2-0 at Windsor Park in Belfast last Thursday but then lost 1-0 away to Bulgaria yesterday (Sunday). Birmingham City's Bailey Peacock-Farrell was between the posts for both games.
Galloway withdrew from Zimbabwe's squad for their opening two games in qualification for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations due to a hamstring injury, which saw him sit out Argyle's 1-0 Championship defeat by Stoke City at Home Park on August 31.
Zimbabwe began their Group J campaign with a 0-0 draw against Kenya on Friday as German-born Michael Nees took charge of the Warriors for the first time. They are also in action tomorrow against Cameroon.
Gyabi, Argyle's loan signing from Leeds United, was also ruled out of the England Elite League squad for games against Turkey and Romania due to injury. That came after he played the opening 61 minutes of the Championship clash with Stoke.
His place in the squad was filled by Sheffield United's Louie Marsh. England drew 1-1 with Turkey in Istanbul on Friday and will host Romania at Stockport County's Edgeley Park tomorrow.
Bundu played for the first 65 minutes as Sierra Leone started their Group G qualification for the 2025 Africa Cup of Nations with a 0-0 draw against Chad.
It was a home match for Sierra Leone but they do not currently have an officially approved stadium to stage international games so it was played in Monrovia, Liberia, instead. They will be away to Zambia in Ndola tomorrow.
Cissoko was an unused substitute as the Netherlands under-21s won 5-0 at home to North Macedonia in Almere last Thursday. Two of their goals were scored by Million Manhoef, who was on target for Stoke when they beat Argyle at Home Park five days earlier.
The Netherlands are top of Group C in qualification for the 2025 European Under-21 Championship with a 100 per cent record from eight matches. Their penultimate match is at home to Georgia in Venlo today.
Issaka started for Wales under-19s in a 2-2 draw with Turkmenistan on neutral territory in San Pedro del Pinatar, Spain, on Saturday and was named among the substitutes for a 3-0 victory over Azerbaijan at the same venue today.
Meanwhile, Waine came off the bench in the 70th minute for Nottingham Forest striker Chris Wood as New Zealand lost 3-0 to Mexico at the Rose Bowl in Pasadena, California, in the first of two international matches for them in the United States. The All Whites will take on the USA at TQL Stadium in Cincinnati tomorrow.
Waine had made his debut for Mansfield as a late substitute in a 1-1 draw at home to Stockport before joining up with the New Zealand squad.
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