Liverpool paid a heavy price during the international break. The Reds emerged as the Premier League's biggest financial loser after their stars piled up injuries away from Anfield, leaving them with a wage bill of 530,000 pounds per week for just two players.
A painful double blow struck when their attacking duo, Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo, went down on international duty, leaving the coaching staff in a real predicament before the return to Premier League action, according to "The Sun".
Isak departs and Gakpo goes down after 17 minutes
It began with Swedish striker Alexander Isak, the subject of a 125 million pound deal and a reported 280,000 pounds per week earner. He played the full match and scored in Sweden's 2-1 win over Romania in the UEFA Nations League, yet the Swedish national team later confirmed he had sustained a thigh injury.
The Swedish federation withdrew the striker from the camp and ruled him out of the rest of the break's matches. He will return to Liverpool's "AXA" training centre for a thorough medical examination by the club's medical staff.
Within hours, the crisis worsened. Dutchman Cody Gakpo, who earns around 250,000 pounds per week, limped off after just 17 minutes of the Netherlands' 2-1 win over Serbia on Sunday.
A violent challenge from Serbia's Sasa Lukic left Gakpo with a heavy ankle injury. He felt severe pain, signalled immediately for a substitution and sat down on the pitch. Reports indicate he will undergo further examinations to determine the severity of the injury.
Liverpool now pay 530,000 pounds per week for two stars battling to recover, with growing concern over their readiness for the anticipated clash against Manchester City at Anfield on 11 October.
The contagion spreads to the big clubs
Liverpool were not the only ones to pay the price of the international break. At Arsenal, German Kai Havertz, on 280,000 pounds per week, returned injured from the Mannschaft camp after picking up a muscular injury in the 1-1 draw against the Netherlands in Amsterdam, cutting his international duty short.
At Manchester United, coach Michael Carrick took a fresh blow when Patrick Dorgu, who earns 40,000 pounds, hobbled off after just half an hour of Denmark's 2-0 win over Wales.
Portugal coach Jorge Jesus also revealed that United captain Bruno Fernandes, who earns 300,000 pounds per week, had joined up carrying an existing injury from United's matches and had been playing through the pain, which ruled him out of the clash against Norway.
Chelsea, meanwhile, picked up two fresh injuries. Jimmy Gittens (120,000 pounds per week) hurt his ankle with England Under-21s, and goalkeeper Mike Penders (40,000 pounds) suffered a thigh problem with Belgium, taking the total wages of their injured players to 160,000 pounds per week.
The curse extended to Aston Villa, where goalkeeper Zion Suzuki (110,000 pounds) went down with Japan, and to Sunderland, who lost striker Brian Brobbey (65,000 pounds) with the Netherlands and defender Dan Ballard (50,000 pounds) with Northern Ireland.
Liverpool, though, remain the club most affected financially and technically so far. Now they wait on the medical examinations to reveal the true scale of their losses.