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Liverpool boss Arne Slot suffers a potential injury blow for next month’s clash with Real Madrid, as one of the Reds’ defenders limps off in their Champions League game against Eintracht Frankfurt.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has been hit with yet another injury blow during the Reds’ Champions League clash with Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany.
The Premier League champions made the trip to the Deutsche Bank Park seeking to snap a dismal four-game losing run across all competitions, including a 1-0 reverse to Galatasaray in their last European affair.
Slot made five alterations to the side that fell to a 2-1 defeat to Manchester United in the Premier League over the weekend, and one of those changes saw Jeremie Frimpong recalled to the right-back slot.
The former Bayer Leverkusen defender had struggled to string a consistent run of starts together in his first couple of months at Liverpool, and his hopes of making a lasting impression under Slot have now been dealt another setback.
With just 19 minutes gone in Wednesday’s encounter, Frimpong dropped to the grass and hobbled off while clutching his hamstring, to be replaced by Conor Bradley.
Liverpool’s Jeremie Frimpong forced off in Eintracht Frankfurt clash
Slot will no doubt be asked for an update on Frimpong’s condition at full time, but even a low-grade hamstring injury would likely require a couple of weeks on the sidelines for the right-back.
As a result, the Netherlands international could potentially miss four matches across all competitions, including the blockbuster Champions League affair with Real Madrid at Anfield on November 4.
It would be a huge shock to see Frimpong involved in Saturday’s Premier League clash with Brentford, as well as the EFL Cup last-16 battle with Aston Villa on October 29 and the visit of Aston Villa on November 1.
Even if Frimpong’s suspected hamstring issue is only a minor one, he may be fighting an uphill battle to recover in time for the clash with Real, which comes just five days before another high-profile Premier League game away to Manchester City.
Frimpong memorably hurt his hamstring on his English top-flight debut for Liverpool against Bournemouth in August, which ruled him out of the club’s top-flight wins over Arsenal and Newcastle United later that month.
The 24-year-old has not started another Premier League game since the opening day, although he has made the first XI in all three of Liverpool’s Champions League fixtures so far.
How can Liverpool replace Jeremie Frimpong at right-back?
It is a different story in the heart of defence, but Liverpool are not bereft of alternatives – either out-and-out or auxiliary – to replace Frimpong, even in the wake of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s exit.
Bradley has been given the nod in four Premier League games this season and is the most natural candidate to step in, although Joe Gomez represents a more defensively-minded option.
Alternatively, Slot can deploy either Dominik Szoboszlai or Curtis Jones on the right-hand side of the backline, allowing Alexis Mac Allister, Ryan Gravenberch and Florian Wirtz to operate in central roles.
However, Gravenberch is currently also sidelined with an ankle injury, as Frimpong joins his compatriot, Alisson Becker (hamstring) and Giovanni LeonI (ACL) in the treatment room.
