‘It’s a Lot’—Arne Slot Reveals Cause of Florian Wirtz Injury Setback
Liverpool manager Arne Slot explained that Florian Wirtz’s second-half withdrawal against Leeds United was a consequence of load management given his recent struggles with a hamstring injury.
Wirtz lasted 66 minutes at Anfield on New’s Year Day—although that felt too long. The £116 million ($156.1 million) summer recruit played with all the inhibitions which last weekend’s goal against Wolverhampton Wanderers had threatened to remove, tamely squandering the few openings Liverpool were able to carve apart when faced with a resolute Leeds backline.
The German playmaker was hardly the only figure in red to deliver a laborious display. Slot was at pains to point out that his players have been drained by the demands to continuously perform throughout a gruelling schedule with no chance of rotation given the injuries littered across the squad.
FREE NEWSLETTER. New SI FC Newsletter Global Embed. Sign Up to Get Informed With SI FC. dark
Alongside Wirtz, Curtis Jones was hauled off after notably demonstrating the effects of playing the full 90 minutes in Liverpool’s previous five fixtures.
“It’s a lot to ask for the players who were fit,” Slot told ALL RED Video in the wake of Thursday’s 0–0 draw. “As you could see today, four players with hardly any playing minutes in the Premier League were on the bench. Florian only trained once this week because two days after the game [against Wolves], he felt his hamstring still a bit.
“You try to be as careful as you can without ruining your chances of winning the game as much as you can with the schedule coming up because missing out on another one would be an even bigger problem if that’s going to take five, six or seven weeks or longer.”
There is no immediate sign of rest on the horizon for Wirtz or Liverpool. The defending Premier League champions visit an in-form Fulham side on Sunday before taking on table-topping Arsenal in a hefty clash on Jan. 8. Unfortunately for Slot, his pool of personnel isn’t set to grow much deeper during this run.
Slot Paints Bleak Picture of Injury Future
While trying to look at the positives, Slot pointed out one glaring negative. Liverpool’s crowded treatment is not going to start thinning out any time soon.
“The good thing was Cody Gakpo was back after an injury so I could still make a few substitutions still,” Slot noted before quickly adding, “and these players have to do it in the upcoming weeks or months because apart from Joe Gomez, I don’t see a player coming back soon.”
Alexander Isak is set to be sidelined with a broken leg until the end of February at the earliest. Giovanni Leoni is out for the long-term with an ACL tear while Mohamed Salah is guaranteed to miss the clash with Arsenal due to Egypt’s advancement at the Africa Cup of Nations.
Slot hinted that Gomez could soon be available again although that still leaves the under-rated figure of Wataru Endo on the fringes. When the dependable Japan international was signed by Jürgen Klopp in 2023, the German manager told him: “We really need you. We have a really good team. Ready to work, but very offensive.”
The same sentiment holds true and Slot has taken to openly bemoaning Endo’s absence in recent weeks. The diminutive enforcer would routinely come off the bench to close out tight contests last term, shutting up shop in half of Liverpool’s Premier League fixtures. This season, Endo has only been fit enough to make five substitute appearances and just one since the first weekend of October.
READ THE LATEST LIVERPOOL NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS AND MORE
feed