Liverpool star set for lengthy injury lay-off as Slot makes ‘stupid’ admission
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Jeremie Frimpong is reportedly set to be sidelined for six weeks after the Liverpool defender injured his hamstring against Eintracht Frankfurt, and it’s a big blow for Arne Slot in a busy period
Jeremie Frimpong faces being sidelined until December after picking up a hamstring problem during Liverpool’s win against Eintracht Frankfurt. The Netherlands international lasted just 19 minutes against the German side before being substituted, and has subsequently missed the Reds’ defeats to Brentford and Crystal Palace.
Arne Slot confirmed in Germany that he expected to be without the right-back for a few weeks, before later conceding his compatriot was set for a prolonged stint on the sidelines. “Jeremie’s not in a good place,” Slot said before the Brentford clash.
“What I mean by that he is definitely not going to play today, tomorrow or next week. Hamstring injury so that’s going to take a while.”
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According to the Daily Mail, Frimpong is now facing a six-week lay-off, with his latest issue the second occasion this season he has sustained a hamstring injury.
The full-back was withdrawn through injury during his Premier League bow against AFC Bournemouth, though he sat out just two fixtures before returning after the September international break.
However, having already missed two matches since his latest setback, Frimpong could potentially be unavailable for a further seven fixtures if the reported six-week absence proves accurate.
Liverpool host Aston Villa on Saturday evening (November 1), before welcoming Real Madrid on Tuesday 4 November and making the trip to Man City on Sunday 9 November. The Reds will then welcome Nottingham Forest (Saturday 22 November) and PSV Eindhoven (Wednesday 26 November) to Anfield after the international break, before making the trip to West Ham United on Sunday 30 November.
Liverpool are then due to kick off December with a home clash against Sunderland on Wednesday 3 December – a fixture scheduled six weeks after their European trip to Frankfurt.
By then, Frimpong is expected to be nearing a comeback, with Slot’s side then facing away trips to Leeds United on Saturday 6 December and Inter Milan on Tuesday 9 December.
The expected duration of Frimpong’s absence provides fresh context for Slot’s controversial team selection in Liverpool’s League Cup defeat to Crystal Palace.
The Dutch manager made 10 alterations to his starting XI for the Eagles clash, which ended in a 3-0 loss, and named an entirely academy-based substitutes’ bench whilst giving most of his senior squad the evening off.
With Conor Bradley representing his sole available senior right-back option in Frimpong’s absence, Slot referenced the Northern Ireland international when defending his contentious selection policy.
“Everybody can have [their] opinion about it but with the squad we have – maybe 15, 16 first-team players available – this is the choice I’ve made,” he explained post-match.
“Last time we played Southampton here in the League Cup, Giovanni Leoni got injured, and we don’t have such a big squad as people might tell, because there was so much focus on the amount of money we spent [in the summer].
“People all of a sudden think we have 25 players available but we mainly have 20 players then we have four injuries.
“I only have one right full-back, Conor Bradley, as an example, and every time I had to play him twice in three days or three times in seven days [last season], it led to him… that I had to take him off with a hamstring injury or something else.
“Are you willing to take that risk with such a big week coming up? Last time I played a player that wasn’t fully prepared – we thought he was prepared but it was the first time – Alexander Isak, he got injured.
“Last time we played Southampton, Leoni was injured and it was a red card for Hugo Ekitike. Those are the things we can’t use with a big week coming up.
“But there’s always a choice. What if I had played Virgil [van Dijk] and Ibou [Konate], for example, if one of them got injured people would have said, ‘What a stupid choice.'”
Alongside Bradley, Van Dijk and Konate, Slot also chose not to risk key players including Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai and Hugo Ekitike in the Crystal Palace tie.
Whilst the Dutch manager expressed hope that Ryan Gravenberch will recover from an ankle problem in time to feature against Aston Villa, both Alexander Isak and Curtis Jones remain doubtful through injury, reports the Liverpool Echo.
Given the absence of Frimpong, it’s perhaps understandable why Bradley opted not to risk Szoboszlai and Ekitike against Palace, in order to avoid further depleting his midfield and attacking options ahead of a pivotal week of matches.
If Bradley were to be injured during Frimpong’s spell on the sidelines, Slot would have to choose between Szoboszlai, Joe Gomez, Wataru Endo and Calvin Ramsay for his right-back options.
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