Arne Slot has provided an injury update on Alexander Isak after the Liverpool forward picked up a groin problem ahead of their trip to Brentford.
Liverpool’s club-record signing started against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League on Wednesday, but was replaced by Federico Chiesa at the break.
Speaking after the game, Slot confirmed that the striker had picked up a ‘little’ problem which had forced him to make a change.
Isak is yet to get off the mark in the Premier League for his new club, and Slot confirmed that the Swede faces a late fitness test to be involved in Saturday’s trip to London to face Brentford.
‘Alexander [Isak] is not too bad. He is a question mark for the weekend so we will see where he is,’ the Dutchman told his press conference on Friday.
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There was further bad news for Liverpool on the injury front, with Jeremie Frimpong also picking up an injury in the 5-1 over Frankfurt.
‘Jeremie Frimpong is not in a good place, he won’t play today, tomorrow or next week,’ Slot said when asked if the full-back could play a part in Saturday’s game. ‘Hamstring injuries so that is going to take a while.’
Elsewhere, Ryan Gravenberch missed the trip to Germany with an ankle problem, but could be able to return at the weekend.
‘He didn’t travel with us so today we are again but yesterday we had a day of travel so let’s see where he is,’ Slot said of the Dutch midfielder.
But the Liverpool boss also confirmed that Alisson is not yet ready for his return to the matchday squad after a hamstring injury, noting: ‘That is going to take a bit longer.’
Having snapped their losing streak in the Champions League in midweek, the Reds will now look to end their three-match winless run in the league on Saturday.
But Slot insisted he is not getting sucked in by talk of Liverpool’s bad form, and instead said their results had to be placed within the context of their opponents and how tricky they had made it for his side.
‘I mean people are more focused on some things,’ he said. ‘Look at the second half in Frankfurt to first half against United. It was the same control, but the scoreline does different things to the opinion of people.
‘I told them, every single time, from open play we are the team who generate the most chances. But we concede more than I like because too often we are chasing the game. When we were 3-1 up against Frankfurt, we didn’t concede a chance anymore.
‘The main difference this season is the playing styles we have faced. 178 long balls in first seven PL games, then 59 against United. The way to unlock that is a moment of magic or a set-piece, which we had at Frankfurt.’
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