Alphonso Davies’ agent criticized the player’s treatment by Canada staff after he suffered a torn ACL against the United States.
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Davies’ agent slams Canada staff after suffering an ACL tear
Davies faced USMNT in Sunday’s Concacaf Nations League game before leaving the field in the 12th minute.
Bayern Munich revealed Wednesday that the full-back tore the ACL in his right knee, requiring surgery and sidelining him for several months.
Canada defeated the U.S. 2-1 to earn third place in the Nations League after its semifinal loss to Mexico on Thursday.
Davies’s agent, Nedal Huoseh, issued a statement on Wednesday blaming the Canadian federation for the injury.
Huoseh claimed that head coach Jesse Marsch convinced his client to play in the third-place game despite initial plans for him to sit out.
“I am very disappointed. Alphonso was not 100 percent after the Mexico game [in the semifinals] and it was planned that he was not going to start against the USA,” he said.
“On Saturday night, the expectation was he would not be in the XI. As a captain, I feel he was pressured to start the game by the coach. Alphonso is not the kind of guy to say no in those moments. He ended up playing and look what happened. Canada Soccer needs to do a better job managing these players, in my opinion. Alphonso is down and obviously really disappointed about this injury. Thankfully, he is in wonderful hands with a world class group at Bayern who will take great care of him. He is expected to have the surgery within the next 24 hours.”
Canada responds to criticism
Meanwhile, Canada Soccer dismissed Huoseh’s comments, calling them “untrue.”
“We want to express our full support for our Men’s National Team captain, Alphonso Davies, as he recovers from this unfortunate injury,” Canada Soccer spokesman Paulo Senra said in a statement to ESPN.
“Phonzie’s strength and resilience matches his world-class talent, and we all look forward to fully supporting him during his recovery. Canada Soccer’s coaches and experienced medical staff are true professionals and have always prioritized player safety and wellbeing. Anything suggesting otherwise is untrue.”
On the other hand, the Davies blow was just one part of a bad international week for Bayern, as center-back Dayot Upamecano will also miss time due to injury.
Bayern’s director of sport, Max Eberl, said in a statement that international breaks always carry the risk of players returning injured, and this time, it hit them particularly hard.
“The absences of Alphonso Davies and Dayot Upamecano weigh heavily on FC Bayern,” he said.
Bundesliga league leaders Bayern hold a six-point edge over second-placed Bayer Leverkusen.
