“Out for a few weeks” – Arne Slot confirms injury to key Liverpool first team starter

Liverpool’s preparations for their midweek showdown with Inter Milan have been hit by a fresh wave of absences, with Cody Gakpo, Wataru Endo, and Federico Chiesa all missing from Monday’s open training session at the AXA Training Centre.

Their omission has added to mounting concerns over squad depth at Anfield.

All three players featured in Liverpool’s dramatic 3-3 draw against Leeds United at Elland Road over the weekend, Gakpo starting before being replaced by Endo late in the second half, while Chiesa remained an unused substitute.

However, none of them were included in the 19-man travelling squad that boarded the flight to Italy on Monday morning.

Speaking in his pre-match press conference, manager Arne Slot confirmed the nature of the absences and provided an update on their recovery timelines:

“Cody Gakpo will be out for a few weeks – he’s injured,” Slot revealed, as reported by Fabrizio Romano.

“Federico Chiesa is out today because he’s ill. We’ll monitor him closely, but it’s not serious.”

Slot did not go into detail about Endo’s absence but he will be a huge miss as well along with the other two players.

The Liverpool squad has been tested to the limits this season and when results are not going your way, the scrutiny increases.

Gakpo will be a massive loss for the Reds since he is a player who gets the most playing time udner the Dutch manager at Liverpool.

The other two players, Chiesa and Endo, have been used in rotation and have seen little playing time comparatively.

Liverpool need positive results, not only to get their season back on track but also because of the noise surrounding the club off the pitch.

Mohamed Salah has had a fall-out with Slot and he has been omitted from the squad to face Inter Milan in the Champions League.

His long term future remains uncertain after the comments he made following Liverpool’s 3-3 draw against Leeds.

With him out of action and the Reds not having Gakpo and Chiesa fit, Slot might have a selection headache.

Sources: Liverpool & Man United hold genuine interest in Real Madrid’s ‘exceptional’ star

Welcome to our Live Comments section, where new comments will appear automatically

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Notify me of follow-up comments by email.

Notify me of new posts by email.