Liverpool will be without key midfielder Florian Wirtz for Saturday's Premier League clash against West Ham United, with manager Arne Slot confirming there is no clear timeline for the Germany international's return from a lingering back injury.
Wirtz was withdrawn from the starting lineup ahead of last week's match at Nottingham Forest after experiencing discomfort during the warm-up.
Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Slot expressed his disappointment. "I don't expect Florian to be available. That’s a disappointment, of course," he stated.
"Every time when a player is not available, it’s a disappointment, and also something that I didn’t expect after last week."
This contrasts with Slot's initial assessment at the time of the injury, when he had said: "We don’t think it’s very serious."
When pressed on how long Wirtz might be sidelined, the Dutch manager admitted: "At this moment in time no, and usually when I say that I do know that, but I don’t want to share it. But now, I honestly don’t know."
Wirtz, a significant summer signing from Bayer Leverkusen, has been a crucial figure in Slot's midfield setup.
Slot lauded his previous resilience, remarking: "It’s, in my opinion, already a big accomplishment of him that he stayed fit for such a long time because he had to make a step from where he played towards Liverpool, towards the Premier League, and that he stayed fit all the time tells you a lot about the mentality and the work rate of the player and by the performance staff."
In more positive news for the Reds, Netherlands right-back Jeremie Frimpong has rejoined team training this week and is "available" for selection against West Ham.
Frimpong has endured a challenging first season at Anfield with several injury setbacks, having missed the past month due to a muscle issue.
