Arne Slot has confirmed that Liverpool will once again be without Alexander Isak and Curtis Jones for Saturday’s Premier League encounter with Aston Villa though there was a glimmer of good news with Ryan Gravenberch returning to training.
The Reds boss spoke on Friday morning from the AXA Training Centre, providing clarity on the condition of his key players following a difficult spell for the reigning champions, who have lost six of their last seven in all competitions.
“Ryan Gravenberch trained with Liverpool yesterday and could be involved against Aston Villa,” Slot revealed. “Alexander Isak and Curtis Jones did not, and are 99 per cent not in the squad.”
The update confirms fears that Liverpool’s British-record signing will remain sidelined. Isak, who has endured a stop-start beginning to his Reds career due to a persistent groin issue, was withdrawn at half-time during the 5-1 win at Eintracht Frankfurt last week their only victory in the last seven matches.
Jones, meanwhile, was forced off in the second half of last weekend’s 3-2 defeat at Brentford with a minor problem, while Gravenberch has missed the previous three games after twisting his ankle in the loss to Manchester United.
. “Timescale? I have said many times, the end phase of an injury can go slower or faster. Let’s wait and see where they are.”
With Isak unavailable, Hugo Ekitike is expected to lead the line once again as Liverpool seek a much-needed lift against Unai Emery’s in-form Villa side.
Slot was also quizzed on his decision to make ten changes in Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup defeat to Crystal Palace, where a heavily rotated Liverpool side crashed to a 3-0 loss at Anfield. That result piled further pressure on the Dutchman, whose team selection included rare starts for Freddie Woodman and Calvin Ramsay.
Despite the growing scrutiny, Slot defended both his rotation policy and the overall depth of his squad.
“We have enough to play the games, but I have to take care of a few of them that’s why I made the decision not to play seven or eight,” he said.
“I am happy with the team, the quality we have, and convinced by the strategy and policy we have. But that makes it the issue not all of them had a proper pre-season or have been injured. So when three or four are injured, you go back to 15 or 16.
“I am convinced 20 is enough, but we are struggling to keep them fit for obvious reasons,” Slot continued. “Alex came to us on September 1 and it has been harder to keep them fit. If a few aren’t available, it always comes back to the same players. Maybe last season we were lucky and now unlucky?
“But we’ve had a few away games with only a few days’ rest in between. No excuses, before people say…”
Liverpool head into Saturday’s clash desperate to halt their slide and rediscover the spark that saw them crowned Premier League champions just five months ago. Slot, however, insists his faith in his squad remains undimmed.
“The thing that gives me the most confidence is the quality of the players we have and the amount of chances they are creating,” he concluded. “This will lead to these players scoring more goals than we have done.”
