Liverpool injury blow as big-money summer signing to miss Leeds United clash
Leeds United welcome Liverpool to Elland Road following Wednesday's Premier League meeting with Chelsea.
Liverpool manager Arne Slot has confirmed he will be without full-back Jeremie Frimpong for Saturday’s Premier League trip to Leeds United.
Frimpong has been out of action since October 22 after suffering a hamstring injury during Liverpool’s 5-1 Champions League win at Eintracht Frankfurt. The attacking right-back, who arrived at Anfield from Bayer Leverkusen in a £30million deal over the summer, has missed eight matches and is set to sit out another three at least.
Liverpool welcome Sunderland to Anfield on Wednesday evening before Saturday’s trip to Elland Road, both of which big-money summer signing Frimpong will miss. His fellow right-back Conor Bradley could return from a muscle injury in time to face Daniel Farke’s Whites, however, having returned to training this week following two-and-a-half-weeks out.
"Conor got into a training session yesterday for the first time, team training,” Slot told Liverpool World ahead of his side’s midweek meeting with Sunderland. “He's not everything 100 per cent yet so we have to manage that a little bit, so don't get your hopes up too soon, too fast.
“The good thing is he does certain things with the group already. We expect the same with Jeremie next week. The two of them will come back but, unfortunately, we play a lot of games in the upcoming weeks. Jeremie, at least, will be training with us but he will miss out on at least three more games, for example. I hope Conor will be available for Leeds.”
Bradley’s return to fitness is well-timed from a Liverpool perspective, with Joe Gomez having to fill in at right-back despite having to be carefully managed himself. £225m pair Alexander Isak and Florian Wirtz are also still working their way towards full match fitness.
Arne Slot on Liverpool rotation and Mohamed Salah ahead of Leeds United
Saturday’s trip to Elland Road represents a third game in seven days for Liverpool, who are likely to be pushed to their limits by a physical and in-form Sunderland side on Wednesday evening. And Slot has suggested there will need to be some rotation during a congested period for his side.
"I think they [Gomez, Isak and Wirtz] are not able to play three times 90, that's for sure,” the Liverpool boss said. “Now I have to wait and see how they feel today and if they are able to play from the start again but all three can be involved in all three games if they don’t get an injury, that is a fair assumption to make."
Liverpool will also be without young centre-back Giovanni Leoni on Saturday, with an anterior cruciate ligament tear suffered in September ending his debut campaign on Merseyside. The Reds will still have Mohamed Salah available, with the Egyptian winger not due to leave for the African Cup of Nations until mid-December.
"I think the way we've worked at this club is that there is always a communication between all three,” Slot added. “The player, the club and the country, so that is nothing new. That is always the same. When they come back, when they go. FIFA did this and said [December] 15th is the last day they have to be released."