Arne Slot faces major problem as £30m Liverpool star could miss Newcastle clash
Liverpool will be hoping to continue their winning start to the new Premier League season when they visit Newcastle on Monday night.
The Reds have been locked in a transfer stalemate with their upcoming opponents over the last few weeks, as the pair continue to go back and forth regarding Alexander Isak’s future.
Liverpool’s interest in Isak has sparked a huge transfer saga that has now resulted in the striker refusing to play for his current club until a deal is done.
Developments with the Swede have taken centre stage in the build-up to the clash, but Arne Slot now has a major problem on his hands that has gone under the radar ahead of the game.
Jeremie Frimpong could miss Newcastle clash
Jeremie Frimpong enjoyed a steady debut for Liverpool in the late win over Bournemouth on the opening night of the season, and there will be big expectations for him moving forward.
The Dutchman arrived from Bayer Leverkusen for around £30million in the early stages of the summer, and will undoubtedly go down as the Reds’ replacement for Trent Alexander-Arnold as the campaign progresses.
Frimpong looks likely to quickly become a key player for Slot, but he could be about to provide his countryman with a major headache ahead of the trip to the North East.
- Frimpong was replaced in the 59th minute against Bournemouth
- He is understood to have complained about discomfort in his hamstring at half-time
- The Dutchman faces a “race against time” to be fit for the trip to Newcastle
The full-back is in a “race against time” to be deemed fit for the Newcastle clash amid an ongoing hamstring issue, according to the Daily Mail’s Liverpool Confidential.
He is understood to have complained about the issue at half-time of the Bournemouth victory, which perhaps explains why he was replaced just shy of the hour mark.
Arne Slot now has huge Liverpool conundrum
Conor Bradley is also unavailable for Liverpool at the moment, as the academy graduate is sidelined with a hamstring problem of his own.
That creates a very unwelcome issue for Slot, as he tries to cover for the absences while also retaining balance in his backline.
With both senior first-team right-backs potentially out on Monday, the boss’ natural instinct would likely be to turn to Joe Gomez, but he is also unlikely to be able to start, having played just 11 minutes of competitive football this year prior to the Bournemouth game.
That creates a big issue for Slot and at present, there is no obvious way for him to solve it.
The trip to St James’ Park will still be a tough test despite Isak’s absence for the hosts, but it could become even more testing for Liverpool if Frimpong isn’t passed as fit in time.
Sign up for the Liverpool News WhatsApp channel and turn on notifications to have all the latest, breaking Liverpool news sent straight to your phone.