Liverpool’s defensive injury crisis worsens as Jeremie Frimpong dealt another setback

Liverpool’s defensive injury woes show no sign of improving after Jeremie Frimpong limped off inside four minutes of their Champions League clash with Qarabag.

The Reds went into their European league phase finale with limited options to fill their back line, with Arne Slot confirming that he would be forced to start a midfielder in centre-back due to the absences of Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez.

Ryan Gravenberch was the man to drop back and partner Virgil van Dijk for the visit of Azerbaijani side Qarabag, but Slot was soon required to turn to another midfield player when Frimpong picked up an early problem.

Frimpong pulled up and went down with a hamstring issue in the very early stages of the contest, with it soon becoming clear that he would need to be withdrawn.

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He was replaced by Wataru Endo, with the Japan captain slotting straight into right-back.

It’s a huge blow for Liverpool and Frimpong, who has been plagued by hamstring problems since his summer arrival.

The Dutchman has already missed 18 games this season due to injury, most recently returning from a two-month layoff in mid-December.

"He will be out for a period of time,” Slot told Uefa. “If you have a problem and have to go off like that, that usually tells you straight away. Let's wait and see what the upcoming days can bring.”

Liverpool are already light in that position due to Conor Bradley’s long-term knee injury, which he picked up in the closing stages of the goalless draw at Arsenal earlier this month, ruling him out for the season.

On the other flank, there was talk that Andy Robertson could leave Liverpool this month after Spurs made a surprise approach for the left-back last week, whose contract at Anfield expires in the summer.

However, Slot now expects Robertson to stay beyond the winter deadline, with the club concluding that he needs to stay to support Milos Kerkez.

Liverpool’s defensive options remain incredibly stretched after Gomez was taken off with an injury picked up during Bournemouth’s opener in the defeat on Saturday.

While Slot was unable to give an exact timeframe on his return, he expects the Englishman to be back in a “relatively short time”.

Konate, meanwhile, is still away after dealing with a family bereavement.