Arne Slot speaking in his pre-match press conference before Liverpool vs Lille (Image: LIVERPOOL FC)
manager has confirmed faces several weeks out through injury after missing training on the eve of the Reds’ Champions League clash with Lille at Anfield.
Jota scored off the bench in their draw at Nottingham Forest last Wednesday but was then unavailable for the at Brentford just three days later.
He has not started for the Merseyside club since going off injured against on October 20 but took just 22 seconds to score at Forest after entering the pitch in the 66th minute. He finished the match but sustained another knock in the process.
And the Portuguese forward will not play again until at least mid-February, it seems, with Joe Gomez also still out for a little while longer. Slot said: “Jota [will be back] a bit earlier than Joe. Both of them are expected to be back with us in weeks, not in months.
“I’ve said many times before, the last stage of rehab is the most difficult one and can sometimes add a few days or not. It’s clear we’re expecting them to be back with us in the upcoming weeks.
“It’s always difficult to say exactly how long it is. But both of them are not going to be out for months, that’s for sure, as long as the rehab goes as planned of course.”
Asked about the exact nature of Jota’s injury, Slot added: “He overloaded a certain muscle a bit.”
Diogo Jota has been sidelined by a muscle injury (Image: GETTY)
only need a point against Lille to confirm their spot in the top eight of the Champions League league phase. They also face PSV away from home next week in their final match.
But Slot is not certain that finishing first in the table, as could having won six from six in Europe so far this term, will guarantee them a better draw in the last 16.
He added: “The most important thing every time we go out there, especially in front of our own fans, we want to win the game. In this new set-up you think ending number one is the best position.
“But because it’s such a strange league table, for example Paris Saint-Germain are quite low on the table which is not [a reflection of] their quality. Maybe if you end up number one you can face them and it’s a disadvantage.
“I’m not looking at it and thinking number one gets the easiest draw because it’s impossible to say. We want to win but not from an idea that it’ll give us the best lead-up for the rest of the campaign.”
Joe Gomez also remains out with injury (Image: GETTY)
Nunez, 25, was the hero at Brentford on Saturday with two vital stoppage-time goals to beat the Bees. The Uruguayan centre-forward has been in and out of the side under Slot who has experimented with Luis Diaz as a false No.9.
And Slot has confirmed Nunez will be a beneficiary of Jota’s injury. He continued: “I don’t think it’s the first time Darwin is in this situation, Jota has been out after the game, he was out for five or six weeks, so that is similar.
“I know from the past with Jurgen [Klopp] Darwin has had a long run of games. He is in a good place now because he scored two. It’s simple, we have four attackers that are top fit and can start and Nunez is one.
“Federico [Chiesa] is five. He’s not ready to start 90 yet but is closer. He hasn’t had many minutes yet so it’s not about him, it’s me not playing him yet. So yeah, it increases the time for Darwin for more playing time.”