Arne Slot Drops Bombshell: Liverpool Star Suffers Injury Blow in Already Troubled Position
Liverpool boss Arne Slot disclosed that Jeremie Frimpong was withdrawn due to a hamstring issue during Friday evening's Premier League season opener, creating a significant tactical challenge for the Dutch manager in that defensive area.
Frimpong was unable to replicate the strike he netted in his debut competitive outing for Liverpool in last weekend's Community Shield loss to Crystal Palace and found it difficult to handle Bournemouth's David Brooks at Anfield. The summer signing was on the victorious team this occasion, but only managed to play until the 60-minute mark.
Slot later confirmed this was a necessary change. "That substitution wasn't by choice," Liverpool's manager explained to Sky Sports after the match. "Jeremie Frimpong experienced hamstring discomfort at the interval after making numerous sprints.
"His performance was solid, but with our other right-back Conor Bradley already sidelined through injury, we couldn't afford to risk losing another defender in that position."
Bradley is recovering from his own muscle problem picked up during the summer break and wasn't included in the matchday roster. With Trent Alexander-Arnold unavailable, the Northern Ireland defender was anticipated to compete with Frimpong for the right-back spot, yet just one hour into the new season and both options were ruled out.
Joe Gomez had overcome a groin issue to feature as a substitute, but as Slot noted, couldn't be trusted to play even 30 minutes. Defensive midfielder Wataru Endo was deployed to replace Frimpong before the English center-back cautiously entered the game for the closing 15 minutes.
Left-back Milos Kerkez was also replaced at the same moment as Frimpong, though this wasn't due to any fitness issues. "Milos Kerkez is someone the supporters appreciate—he commits fully to every challenge!" Slot enthused. "However, when you're already on a booking and facing [Antoine] Semenyo, that becomes quite concerning."
Liverpool head to Newcastle United's St James' Park on Aug. 25 for an exciting Monday night encounter. While attention will inevitably center on the Alexander Isak transfer speculation, Slot might be more preoccupied with determining his right-back options.