Youri Tielemans has ruled himself out of Belgium’s upcoming international fixtures due to a “small pain” but Unai Emery is hopeful he will be available for Aston Villa’s trip to Liverpool.
The decision was made between the player, his club and national team, with Tielemans managing an ongoing knee issue and requires rest over the international break.
Tielemans was left out of Belgium’s squad for their upcoming UEFA Nations League fixtures but is set to feature for Villa against Liverpool.
The 27-year-old has been a standout performer this season and preserving his condition is at the forefront of Villa and Belgium’s thinking.
However, this is in stark comparison with Morgan Rogers who has been called up again to England’s under-21s. Villa have expressed fears of physical burnout with Rogers limping off in recent games against Tottenham Hotspur and Club Brugge.
The 22-year-old has made 14 appearances this season and narrowly missed out on a senior call-up, with Emery considering him among his key players.
Emery has previously criticised the decision to include Rogers in England’s under-21s, insisting he was “not a player for the second team”.
“You know my opinion on Morgan Rogers,” said Emery in his post match press conference ahead of the match against Liverpool, when asked about Roger’s under-21 inclusion. “He is not now a player to go with the under-21s because he is 22 and they can get other players more efficient to be with the 21s.
“Like now, they are playing friendly matches, so it is not relevant for him to be with them, but I have to accept and respect.
“His rest is important because he’s playing a lot. He’s the player in our squad usually running the most around 11 kilometres.
“He’s sometimes tired and I decided to change him in the last match on Wednesday and Tottenham because last time he was with his national team and then played with us, he was finishing tired. But for us, he is an important player and I need to keep him on the field for 90 minutes.
“But if he goes with the 21s, it is with a risk he is going to get injured and that’s my worry with him and I’m trying to protect him here, but we need him now more than what the under-21s will need.”
(Richard Heathcote/Getty Images)
