View 2 ImagesArne Slot saw his side beat Frankfurt 5-1(Image: UEFA via Getty Images)
Arne Slot is sweating on the fitness of Alexander Isak after the Liverpool striker was forced off with a groin problem during the Champions League romp at Eintracht Frankfurt. And the Reds boss admits he expects Jeremie Frimpong to be sidelined for an extended period after the right-back suffered another hamstring injury.
Isak started alongside Hugo Ekitike in attack for the first time since their respective summer arrivals and twice came close to scoring during the first half of the Reds’ 5-1 triumph on Wednesday evening.
But the 26-year-old failed to appear for the second half, with Slot now waiting on the extent of Isak’s setback.
“Let’s hope it’s not that bad, but he had to go off because he felt his groin,” said the Reds boss.
“Many people wanted me to play him more and we had to find the balance and unfortunately today that balance didn’t work out for us perfectly. But let’s hope for the best.
“Today with Alex and Hugo, I brought two players on the pitch who are usually able to score goals. Alex was a few times close but had to go off at half-time, and that’s the difficult balance we are having with him.
“When he came to the club, he had hardly trained. So you bring him step by step forward, and then you feel there must be a moment where he can play twice a week, and the first time we try – he did it with Sweden as well – but the first time we try he has to go off.”
Slot added of the British record £125m signing: “Alex wasn’t in the red zone because we wouldn’t have played him.
View 2 ImagesJeremie Frimpong will be out ‘for a few weeks'(Image: AFP via Getty Images)
“Normally you try to prepare players for once a week football, but if you are Liverpool you play every three days or normally three times in eight days but we’ve been unfortunate this season we have to play three times in seven days.
“We’ve tried to prepare him for that programme which is not always so easy when you don’t have a pre-season. We were really careful.
“He was perfectly fit when he came back from the national team (last week) and before the United game.
“We thought he was well prepared for that but the margins at the top are small. I’m hoping it won’t be that bad, because if he’s out for a few weeks it will put him back. So let’s wait.”
Frimpong, who started at right-back, departed in the 19th minute after pulling up with a hamstring problem, similar to the one that ruled him out for a month at the start of the season.
“It’s not helpful with Alisson and Giovanni Leoni already out that I expect Jeremie Frimpong to definitely be out now for a few weeks,” said Slot.
“Jeremie is a hamstring issue. He came back from a hamstring injury a few weeks ago. Now unfortunately he’s had to go off.
“People like to talk us as we have 25-30 first-team players, but when we play 11 v 11 in training session we almost always need players from the under-21s.”
Liverpool were also without Ryan Gravenberch in Germany due to a twisted ankle, although the Reds hope the midfielder will be available for Saturday evening’s Premier League trip to Brentford.