Liverpool manager Arne Slot held a press conference on Friday ahead of Saturday’s FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester City. Following the international break, the Dutchman provided an update on injuries and returning players in his squad. This also applies to Paris Saint-Germain, their opponents in the Champions League quarter-finals (April 8 and 14). Goalkeeper Alisson Becker (33 years old) will miss these matches, despite his expected return. The press also addressed the availability of Jérémie Frimpong (25-year-old right-back), Alexander Isak (26-year-old forward), and Mohamed Salah (33-year-old forward).
Alisson Becker
“He will not be part of the Paris Saint-Germain games as well. He will be out for a bit longer. Towards the end of the season we expect him to be fit again.”
Jeremie Frimpong
“He seems to be OK – trained with us yesterday fully and will train with us [today] again. But he was one of the players I referred to about the Brighton game, I think in the second half you could see that he still has a step to make in terms of [playing] every three days. And then coming off for the national team. Another interesting and difficult choice to make, how many minutes in which game.
Alexander Isak
“It will definitely be too fast to expect him in the starting line-up. He trained with us yesterday for the first time and today for the second time after exactly 101 days, I know this because it was told to me. So, it will take a bit of time to give him a lot of minutes. We will make sure we do the right thing in terms of building him up in minutes, but it’s a very good thing to have him on the training ground again. It would be even a better thing to have him available for games, that’s for sure.
Mohamed Salah
“He is [fit]. He trained with us yesterday, he will train with us today and is available for the game tomorrow.”
This is a major blow for Liverpool, who lose their starting goalkeeper for a significant portion of the season. Even so, their backup, Giorgi Mamardashvili (25 years old), shouldn’t be underestimated. On the other hand, there is some rather good news. Frimpong is back after a scare during the international break, although there are still doubts about his ability to maintain a high level of performance for the time being. It’s even better for Salah, whose injury is healed and who should be available against Manchester City, as well as PSG.
As for Isak, he is finally back with the squad. However, his return will be gradual and without rushing. There’s no guarantee he’ll play in the upcoming matches, at least not for more than a few minutes.
