Junior confirms injury and criticises international-break format

Junior has confirmed his injury and criticised the format of the international break. The full-back was hurt in the Dominican Republic’s latest match against Haiti, while the Betis player had to come off after ten minutes.

Speaking to Caribbean media, Junior Firpo said he had already been feeling discomfort in the game against Trinidad and Tobago. “I came in with discomfort from the match against Trinidad and Tobago and felt a slightly stronger-than-usual pull. We have to wait for the tests and see if I return to the club. They’ve already called me and want to see what’s going on,” he said.

The player blamed the new break format, which pauses club competitions for almost three weeks while concentrating the national teams’ matches. “I didn’t really understand why they changed the break. Before, we played two matches in ten days, and that was better than playing four in eleven. They’ll know best,” he added.

Asked whether he could feature against Nicaragua, Junior replied: “If I couldn’t play the previous match, I don’t think it will be possible.”