Marseille’s international break has brought another worrying moment, with Pierre-Emile Højbjerg forced off after only 10 minutes while captaining Denmark against Wales on Sunday night.
The midfielder appeared to suffer a muscular problem during a run, stopping after taking a few adjustment steps rather than following any apparent contact. He sat down on the pitch and immediately signalled that he needed to be replaced.
Højbjerg handed Denmark’s captain’s armband to Joachim Andersen, the former Lyon defender, before Andreas Skov Olsen came on in his place. The extent of the issue has yet to be established, but his early exit adds to a difficult injury picture at Marseille.
Another concern for Genesio
Højbjerg has remained a central figure for Bruno Genesio despite a turbulent summer in which he was close to leaving the club and lost the Marseille captaincy. The coach has nevertheless relied heavily on him, selecting him for every minute of the first five Ligue 1 matchdays.
The Dane had also completed each of Denmark’s first three Nations League fixtures before Sunday’s match in Wales.
Marseille are already under pressure after a poor start to the domestic campaign, sitting 17th in Ligue 1. Their squad has been depleted by injuries to Geoffrey Kondogbia, Amine Harit and Tochukwu Nnadi, while the current international window has also taken Derek Cornelius, Amine Gouiri and Himad Abdelli out of contention.
With Højbjerg now awaiting further assessment, Marseille face the prospect of returning to league action with yet another key player in doubt.
