Liverpool might have to play the rest of the season without Alisson Becker in goal, manager Arne Slot announced at a press conference on Friday.
Alisson has been struggling with muscle problems since late March, which he picked up the return leg of Liverpool’s Champions League victory over Galatasaray (4-0).
Despite giving enough time for treatment and rest, Alisson is yet to recover and will miss the next two games, the FA Cup quarter-final clash against Man City, and the first leg of their Champions League tie against Paris Saint-Germain.
“Alisson is not in the squad for the matches against Manchester City and Paris Saint-Germain, nor for the return leg on Tuesday 14 April. I expect him to be available again towards the end of the season,” Arne Slot confirmed.
Earlier this season, the 33-year-old goalkeeper suffered a hamstring injury and was sidelined for fifty days. Giorgi Mamardashvili was his replacement at the time and stood between the posts at Anfield.
Slot also shared an update about the fitness of Alexander Isak.
Isak trained with Slot’s squad on Thursday for the first time since breaking both his leg and his ankle in the 2-1 victory over Tottenham Hotspur in December.
Alexander Isak has return to training. (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)
While Isak is unlikely to feature for Liverpool in Saturday’s FA Cup quarterfinal clash with Manchester City, his availability could give the Reds a big boost in the final stages of the season.
“It will definitely be too fast to expect him in the starting lineup,” Slot said.
“He has trained with us yesterday for the first time and today will be the second time after exactly 101 days. It will take a bit of time to give him a lot of minutes but we will make sure we do the right thing in terms of building him up. It is a very good thing to have him on the training ground again. It would be an even better thing to have him in games, that’s for sure.”
Asked whether Isak could be involved from the bench against City, Slot said: “It is a difficult one because we don’t play a normal game. What I mean is it could go to extra-time so that makes it even more complicated if we bring him in and we think he can only play 10 minutes and bring him on and then it goes to extra time.
“Of course we can take him off again if we have enough players available. Maybe a few minutes but let’s wait and see how he is today, how he feels about it himself. It’s clear after two training sessions in 100 days, it would not make any sense to start him tomorrow.
“It wasn’t only that he missed preseason, he missed also the end of Newcastle’s season and he didn’t go with the national team so he missed much more than only preseason. What’s realistic? I think rehab did a great job. If I look at him now compared to where he was before he got injured I see a player that is much stronger, physically in a much better place but going from 100 days off to the intensity of the Premier League in the end phase of the season and the end phase of the Champions League where usually the opposition you face is even harder, what’s realistic to expect? That’s difficult.
“I am really happy that I have at least a No. 9 again available behind Hugo [Ekitike] or together with Hugo so that is already a positive thing and what to expect, I think I’ve said many times that next season when he’s had a preseason, we can expect more from him than now but even the way he is now is already a big step forward for us compared to what he had when he arrived.”
