Arne Slot has shared an update on Joe Gomez’s injury following Liverpool’s unexpected FA Cup defeat to Plymouth Argyle.
The Reds endured a well-deserved 1-0 loss to the Championship’s bottom-placed team. Despite leading the Premier League by six points, Liverpool delivered a lackluster performance at Home Park.
Although Slot made numerous changes to his starting lineup, key players like Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz, and Federico Chiesa failed to impress, with Ryan Hardie’s second-half penalty sealing the win for Plymouth.
Gomez Latest:
Liverpool’s hopes of a quadruple have been dashed, and their frustrations were compounded by Gomez’s injury within the first 10 minutes. The defender was making his first appearance since recovering from a hamstring issue sustained at West Ham in late December.
Slot does not believe Gomez has suffered a new hamstring tear, but his availability for the upcoming Merseyside derby against Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday night is now in doubt.
Speaking at his post-match press conference, Slot said: “I’m not too sure if it’s the same but I haven’t had time to ask him. It was clear we all knew which moment he felt a bit insecure about because he didn’t sprint back fully and he said: I’m not 100 per cent sure, I’m afraid if I make one extra sprint, things will go wrong. I’m not sure exactly where it is. It’s not torn but it didn’t feel good for him.”
Curtis Jones Issue:
Meanwhile, Curtis Jones remained an unused substitute against Plymouth. Despite Liverpool’s efforts to equalize, the midfielder was not brought on, even though he was one of only two senior players on the bench alongside Darwin Nunez. Jones did not participate in the pre-match warm-up at Home Park.
Slot explained: “That was a bit of a blow [Gomez’s injury] because Curtis Jones was on the bench but came to me this morning and said: ‘I don’t think he was fully recovered from the training session yesterday’.
“We were left with a few more youngsters on the pitch which wasn’t the idea before the game but, still, there was enough quality on the pitch to get a better result than this.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold Absence:
Trent Alexander-Arnold was absent from the match as he continues to recover from a minor setback. It remains uncertain whether the vice-captain will be fit to face Everton.
Ahead of the Plymouth game, Slot commented: “Like I said before, it’s not going to take months and not even weeks. We also have to look at the long term, of course we don’t want to take any risks with so many games afterwards coming up. But if he’s fit then of course we will use him.”
Additional Injury Concerns:
Tyler Morton is also sidelined for several weeks due to a shoulder injury. On the other hand, David Moyes has revealed that Everton could be missing up to eight players after their FA Cup exit following a 2-0 loss to AFC Bournemouth.
