Arne Slot’s Major Injury Blow Ahead of Man City – Defender Undergoes Surgery
Arne Slot’s Crucial Injury Update Before Man City Clash – Defender Set for Surgery
With games coming in rapid succession, Arne Slot was already addressing the media to preview our clash with Manchester City before the dust had even settled on our draw with Aston Villa.
As expected, Arne Slot provided an injury update on his squad, starting with Cody Gakpo. He remained uncertain about the forward’s availability, saying:
“Let’s see, I hope [he’s available], but I’m not 100% sure. He hasn’t trained with the team yet—maybe he will today. I don’t know exactly. It will be a close call.”
Next, Slot addressed Conor Bradley’s situation after his setback against Aston Villa:
“No, he [Bradley] still has to come in, so we don’t know yet. I’d be completely surprised if he’s involved in Sunday’s game or Wednesday’s match against Newcastle. You can assume that’s not going to happen.”
Finally, he confirmed bad news regarding Joe Gomez:
“Joe Gomez had surgery for his hamstring injury, so he’s out for a long time. He might return just before the end of the season.”
Before wrapping up, Slot provided a final squad overview, highlighting the need for caution with returning players:
“Then, of course, these two players are not injured, but they are coming back from injury – [Diogo] Jota and Trent [Alexander-Arnold]. That’s why they can’t play 90 minutes five times in a row within 15 days. That would be a big risk, as we saw yesterday with Conor Bradley.”
Losing two key defensive options for multiple games is a significant blow, especially with Alexander-Arnold’s minutes needing careful management. This leaves the squad dangerously thin at the back during a crucial period, with hopes high for no further setbacks.
Arne Slot will have to navigate this challenge carefully to keep his squad balanced and competitive.
It’s another juggling act in attack, with no rush to bring back our No.18 too soon and Diogo Jota still being eased back to full fitness. That likely means Darwin Núñez could have a role to play at the Etihad.
After the reaction to his miss in Birmingham and his social media activity on Thursday, this could be the perfect chance for him to quiet the critics.
While many will lament the lack of January reinforcements, leaving us short at the back, we’ve already seen Jarell Quansah step in at right-back when needed this season.
By next Wednesday, we’ll have played five matches in just 15 days. However, with only four games in all of March—just one in the Premier League—there could finally be some respite for this fatigued squad.
Let’s hope we come through it unscathed and with plenty of points.
You can watch Arne Slot’s full injury update via Liverpool FC on YouTube.