Martín Valjent called up with Slovakia, ruled out vs Almería and Girona

Mallorca have a scheduling headache: Martín Valjent has been named in Vladimir Weiss’s squad with Slovakia for the early Nations League matches, so he will miss the games against Almería and Girona (matchdays 7 and 8 in LaLiga Hypermotion), according to MARCA.

Two key matchdays

The absence lands during an important stretch of the season. As the report notes, the Slovak has been one of the most reliable pieces in Luis García’s setup, with a perfect run of minutes so far. That consistency only broke last campaign due to suspension and injury: he played virtually every league minute in Primera, except for the win over Rayo (suspension) and he was forced off injured late in the penultimate meeting against Levante.

This year, the coach will now have to reshuffle for those two fixtures. The article suggests the likely answer could be Soumahoro. It highlights the fact that the French defender produced a strong performance last Sunday against Sabadell, and that internal expectations are high for him from the sporting department.

Options to cover the gap

The other name mentioned is David López, though with caveats. The piece links him to a tough spell with reference to the mistake recalled from the Ciutat de Valencia, describing his form as a rough patch. It also states the club tried to move him on during the last transfer window, which underlines the uphill context he faces as he could be used to fill the void left by Valjent.