Ryan Gravenberch ruled out of Liverpool’s trip to Eintracht Frankfurt due to a minor ankle injury.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has confirmed that midfielder Ryan Gravenberch will miss the Reds’ Champions League trip to Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday night after sustaining a minor ankle injury against Manchester United at the weekend.
The Dutch international was forced off shortly after the hour mark in Liverpool’s 2-1 Premier League defeat at Anfield after twisting his ankle while challenging Casemiro. Despite the injury being described as “minor,” it was enough to rule Gravenberch out of the 21-man travelling squad to Germany, with Slot highlighting the impact of his absence on the team.
“Yeah, I had to take him off during the weekend because he limped a little bit, as we could all see. So, unfortunately, he’s not ready to play tomorrow,” Slot told Liverpoolfc.com.
“That already means I definitely have to change one player and with him not being there, that might mean something for others as well, because he has such a particular quality in our squad, which we’ve seen when we played Bournemouth for example, when we played the Community Shield – that we missed a little bit a player that was always protecting our back four.”
The No.38’s absence leaves a notable gap in Liverpool’s midfield structure. Gravenberch has been an important figure for Slot, particularly in shielding the defence and providing the kind of stability the Reds have missed in key fixtures. Slot remained optimistic, however, that Gravenberch would be available again soon.
“Ryan is not available for the Frankfurt game, hopefully he will be available at the weekend. But it’s an ankle injury, we have to wait and see, give him a bit of time and see where he is when we come back from Frankfurt,” he added.
Liverpool’s travel plans were further complicated by a delay of over three hours at John Lennon Airport due to technical issues with the aircraft. The team eventually departed for Frankfurt without the need to divert to an alternative airport, arriving safely ahead of Wednesday night’s clash.
The travelling squad sees a welcome return for Wataru Endo, who missed the weekend fixture with a hamstring problem that also prevented him from joining up with Japan during the international break. Federico Chiesa has also been included, avoiding the surprise omission that had occurred in a previous matchday squads.
Liverpool continue to be without first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who remains hampered by a hamstring issue, and teenage centre-back Giovanni Leoni, who is out for the season following ACL surgery.
Gravenberch’s imminent return would provide a significant boost for Liverpool, who face a demanding run of seven fixtures in 22 days.
After their clash with Brentford, the Reds have three home games across three different competitions Crystal Palace in the League Cup, Aston Villa in the Premier League, and Real Madrid in the Champions League before travelling to Manchester City in a mouthwatering encounter between the last two Premier League champions.
Slot’s management of squad rotation and injury recovery will be vital in this period, with Liverpool looking to regain momentum following their recent defeat at Anfield.
While the absence of Gravenberch poses a tactical challenge, the return of Endo and the inclusion of Chiesa provide Slot with added options and flexibility heading into one of the most congested stretches of the season.
The full 21-man squad for the Champions League trip is: Endo, Van Dijk, Konaté, Kerkez, Wirtz, Szoboszlai, Isak, Mac Allister, Salah, Bradley, Chiesa, Jones, Gakpo, Ekitike, Mamardashvili, Robertson, Woodman, Frimpong, Ngumoha, Misciur.
