Liverpool boss Arne Slot admits he does not know how long Florian Wirtz will be sidelined with the back injury that saw him miss last weekend’s win at Nottingham Forest.
The Germany international was named in the starting XI at the City Ground but pulled out after feeling discomfort.
He will definitely not play when Liverpool host West Ham tomorrow and Slot is not sure when Wirtz will be available again.
“At this moment time, I don’t know,” said the Dutchman. “Usually when I say that, I do know and I don’t want to share that. But this time, I honestly don’t know.”
It is a major blow for a Liverpool side pushing to clinch a top-four finish and looking to go beyond the round of 16 in the Champions League. Wirtz started slowly following his £116million move from Bayer Leverkusen last summer but has started to flourish with four goals and two assists in his last 10 league games.
“It’s a big accomplishment for Wirtz to stay fit for such a long time because he had to make a step up from where he played to the Premier League and Liverpool,” Slot added. “It tells a lot about his mentality and work rate that he has stayed fit for so long.
“It is a disappointment for him and for us, because he has played really, really well lately.”
Wirtz absence will mean others have to step up – Slot
With Wirtz not available, Liverpool could do with Mohamed Salah finding his shooting boots.
The Egypt international has not scored in the Premier League since November 1 – a remarkable drought for a man who netted 29 times in 38 league games last season as Liverpool cruised to the title – although he spent over a month away at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Slot said: “He has set his own standards and they are so, so, so high that the moment he doesn’t score for a few games, people are immediately surprised, so that is the big compliment he can get.
“For me it was only three games ago he had an assist and a goal against a Premier League side, Brighton, a very good team, in the FA Cup. So that is the reality. You can change data and say it’s no goal in nine league games and that is the standard he set.
“We are used to [Salah] scoring a lot of goals – I think that’s the biggest difference in his performances right now.
“But we also know, even in my time, it has happened. I’ve had questions about Mo not scoring for three or four games but I know he always scores again in the end. That’s the challenge he and we have at the moment.
“He is not our only attacker who doesn’t score as much as we are used to. It is not that the focus should be all on him, Hugo [Ekitike] and Cody [Gakpo] haven’t scored that many goals recently as well, so it is a team thing. But we keep clean sheets, so we don’t need to score as many.”
Slot demands Liverpool maintain pace in Champions League battle
Liverpool have won three of their last four league games and go into the weekend in sixth place.
With Manchester United and Chelsea also in good form, Slot knows there can be no slip-up against the relegation-threatened Hammers tomorrow.
“We know we need to win a lot of games, because our competitors for these Champions League places are very good teams as well,” he said. “Winning a lot, that is where our focus is. Not so much about points and gaps although we are aware of the table. That’s for sure.”
