Liverpool manager Arne Slot has admitted he is worried about Ryan Gravenberch after seeing the Dutch midfielder sustain an ankle problem during Sunday’s 2-1 defeat to Manchester United at Anfield.
The Reds are currently going through a tough phase, having lost their last four matches in all competition. The Merseysiders will aim to bounce back on Wednesday against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League but will have to do so without Gravenberch.
Gravenberch has been ever-present in Slots’ team this season but he will sit out of this game due to injury and Slot admits his absence is a concern due to his ability to protect the back four.
Ryan Gravenberch looks on during the Premier League match between Liverpool and Manchester United. (Photo by Michael Regan/Getty Images)
He told reporters ahead of his team’s Champions League clash: “Yeah, I had to take him off during the weekend because he limped a little bit, as we could all see. So, unfortunately, he’s not ready to play tomorrow. That already means I definitely have to change one player and with him not being there, that might mean something for others as well, because he has such a particular quality in our squad, which we’ve seen when we played Bournemouth for example, when we played the Community Shield – that we missed a little bit of a player that was always protecting our back four. Ryan is not available for the Frankfurt game, hopefully he will be available at the weekend. But it’s an ankle injury, we have to wait and see, give him a bit of time and see where he is when we come back from Frankfurt.”
Slot also spoke about the importance of returning to winning ways for his team, adding: “Like I said before the United game, it should not matter if we win or lose a game of football for the next one. The aim if you play for Liverpool, if you wear this shirt, is to win every single game. So, if we win seven in a row, how we started the season, then we want to win the next three. We didn’t. Now we’ve lost the last four. So now, of course we want to see Liverpool winning again. But that is not different when you lost four in a row or you won four in a row – it is just what is expected of you if you play for Liverpool.”
While Liverpool have failed to stay consistent, Eintracht Frankfurt head into the game after a dramatic start to their Champions League campaign.
The Bundesliga side started off with a 5-1 thrashing of Galatasaray but followed that up by being hammered 5-1 by Atletico.
