Arne Slot has provided the latest injury update ahead of Liverpool’s Premier League clash against relegation-threatened West Ham United on Saturday.
The Reds welcome the struggling Hammers to Anfield, looking to build on their hard-fought 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest in their last league outing.
However, they have been dealt a significant setback with the absence of Florian Wirtz. The German midfielder was originally named in the starting lineup for the win at City Ground last weekend, but was forced to withdraw during the warm-up due to a back injury.
The 22-year-old had only recently begun to find his rhythm after a slow start following his big-money move to the club last summer and will now miss the visit of West Ham.
“I don’t expect Florian to be available so that’s a disappointment, of course”, Slot confirmed during Friday’s pre-match press conference in quotes revealed by the official Liverpool FC website.
“Every time a player is not available, it’s a disappointment, and it’s also something I didn’t expect after last week, but that’s sometimes how things can evolve and unfortunately, this time not in a positive way.”
Liverpool are also still without Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni and Endo Wataru due to long-term injuries, while club-record signing Alexander Isak is not expected to return to action at least until next month.
There is some good news with the return of Jeremie Frimpong, who has been out of action since January with a hamstring injury.
The Dutch international’s debut campaign at the Premier League champions has been hampered by injuries, although his return comes at a very crucial time.
“Jeremie [Frimpong] trained with us a few times this week, so he’s available”, Slot added.
Liverpool boasts an impressive record against West Ham and are currently on a 10-game unbeaten run, winning nine of those games.
Another victory this weekend could see them climb back into the top four, depending on other results on the match-day.
