Alphonso Davies' agent slams Canada staff over ACL tear - ESPN

Alphonso Davies' agent criticized the player's treatment by Canada staff after it was announced that he suffered a torn ACL against the United States, saying that the Bayern Munich star was «pressured» to play despite not being fully fit.

Davies kicked off the match against the U.S. men's national team in Sunday's Concacaf Nations League third-place game before being substituted off the field in the 12th minute. Bayern Munich revealed Wednesday that Davies suffered a torn ACL in his right knee, forcing the player to undergo surgery and stay off the pitch for several months.

«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,» Nedal Huoseh said in a statement to OneSoccer.

«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 Soccer responded to Huoseh's comments, labeling them «untrue.»

«We want to express our full support for men's national team captain, Alphonso Davies, as he recovers from this unfortunate injury,» said Canada Soccer in a statement to OneSoccer.

«Phonzie's strength and resilience matches his world-class talent, and we look forward to fully supporting him during his recovery. Canada Soccer's