Anfield [UK], August 21 : Liverpool defender Jeremie Frimpong has been ruled out of action until after the September international break, confirmed manager Arne Slot.
Frimpong was withdrawn on the hour mark of Liverpool's victory over AFC Bournemouth in the Premier League season opener last Friday with a hamstring complaint. He limped off the field, and there were immediate concerns about his future.
On Thursday, Slot confirmed Frimpong is bound to miss Liverpool's crucial fixtures against Newcastle on Monday and Arsenal on the following Sunday. The Dutch manager was glad that they took Frimpong in time; otherwise, his time on the sidelines could have been extended.
"The medical team was completely right about Jeremie to tell me they had to take him off, because he is out until the end of the international break, and that happened in the game. I already said immediately after the game that it had nothing to do with how he played, but we felt he had an issue with his hamstring," Slot said while speaking to reporters as quoted from the club's official website.
"And with 'we' I don't mean me, but the medical staff. And they were completely right. So, a good call to take him off, otherwise he would have maybe been out for longer. And we expect to have him back after the international break," he added.
Young Conor Bradley returned to training with the first team on Thursday, while Joe Gomez remains another option to cover the right flank. However, Slot hinted that Gomez is unlikely to start considering the lack of game time he has had. He even suggested midfielders Dominik Szoboszlai and Wataru Endo could slot in and act as the right back.
"Conor played for a few minutes with us today, for the first time. These things happen in a season. We have only at the moment two injuries - unfortunately, it's two for the same position. The good thing is that some others can play in that position as well. Wataru played in that position for a few minutes; Dominik Szoboszlai already played in that position. There are other options we can explore," Slot said
"Joe Gomez is definitely one of them. But for him to already play 20 minutes, that was already quite a lot. I wouldn't say he had a setback, but he wasn't able to train three days in a row completely with the team. It's completely normal if you've been out for so long and all of a sudden the manager needs you for 20 minutes. He's training with the team, so let's see where he is on Monday, if he can be involved in the team or if he can even start. But there are other options as well," he added.
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