Liverpool manager Arne Slot appeared to rule out making a defensive signing this month despite admitting that he thinks Jeremie Frimpong will be “out for a period of time” after the Dutchman was forced off against Qarabag.
Frimpong pulled up with a potential hamstring injury within the first three minutes of the Reds’ 6-0 demolition of the Azerbaijani side, with the Dutchman falling and requiring treatment before trudging off and being replaced by Wataru Endo.
He becomes the fifth name on the treatment table for the Reds, and the fourth defender alongside Joe Gomez, Giovanni Leoni and Conor Bradley, with Ibrahima Konate also absent at present due to compassionate leave.
And when asked about the 25-year-old‘s injury, his manager said that Frimpong “will be out for a period of time, because if you have a moment like that and you have to go off straight away, that usually tells you what you need to know”.
“We have to wait and see, there’s only a few days to go, so let’s wait and see what the upcoming days can bring,” Slot added.
Liverpool’s win took them into third place in the Champions League league phase table and secured automatic qualification to the round of 16, but Slot appeared to rule out the club rushing to make any new signings at the end of the January transfer window, despite approaching one of the busiest sections of the season.
“We as a club always make decisions, as we at least make smart decisions. So we not only look at the short term, we also look at the long term,” explained Slot.
“And it always depends on, are there players available that we think can help us? And if there are, can we afford them? And does this also be helpful for the longer term future, because our players come back from injury as well.
“So we have to do smart things for the near future, but also for the longer future. Let’s first see how Jeremie is. Maybe he’s not able to play Saturday, but maybe he’s able to play one or two days later.
“It’s obvious that if a player goes out like that, you don’t expect them to play Saturday against Newcastle (United). Maybe I can come back to something I said yesterday, when I said that it might, might, might,” added the Dutchman.
