Slot shares fresh injury hint after cup progress at Anfield
Arne Slot has provided a fresh Wataru Endo injury update after Liverpool’s 3-0 FA Cup win over Brighton & Hove Albion, with the head coach admitting the 32-year-old Japan international will be missing for weeks while we wait on further clarity.
Liverpool progressed at Anfield thanks to goals from Curtis Jones, Dominik Szoboszlai and Mo Salah, yet the night still carried an unavoidable concern because our No.3 remains sidelined following the foot injury he suffered at Sunderland.
Slot spoke to the media after full-time via Liverpoolfc.com and made it clear the immediate outlook is not encouraging, even if there is still hope of seeing the midfielder again before the campaign ends.
The Dutchman said: “He will not be in the squad next week and he will not be in the squad the next month, but we’re hoping towards the end of the season he has a chance to be there with us again.”
That quote matters because it shifts the conversation from “how bad is it?” to “how quickly can we realistically get him back”, with Slot stressing that a final timeframe depends on how the next few days of assessment develop.
Arne Slot explains Endo injury timeline after Brighton
Slot’s explanation also underlined why precise injury predictions can be unreliable, especially when swelling and pain levels change after the initial incident.
The Liverpool head coach said: “We cannot say exactly how long yet. That is sometimes different with every injury… sometimes you need a few more days to see how things develop and that last thing is with Wata.”
The context is that Endo’s injury arrived at a brutal time for our squad balance, with right-back options having been stretched for months and the Japan captain having already been asked to fill in out of position at the Stadium of Light.
Curtis Jones’ performance at full-back against Brighton was a timely boost, yet Slot’s update on Endo still highlights how quickly we can lose reliable cover in a season where availability has been as important as form.
What Endo’s minutes tell us about his season so far
Endo’s absence also lands harder because the 32-year-old has hardly played consistent football this season, which makes any long lay-off feel like another stop-start chapter rather than a simple bump in the road.
Here’s a quick snapshot of Endo’s 2025/26 involvement, using Transfermarkt numbers provided.
| Category | Figure |
|---|---|
| Appearances (all comps) | 12 |
| Assists | 1 |
| Minutes played | 455 |
Those totals show how limited Endo’s rhythm has been, which is why Slot’s hope of an end-of-season return is significant, even if it comes with plenty of uncertainty attached.
Slot had already set the tone before Brighton when discussing the issue at the AXA Training Centre, saying: “A foot injury. We still need to do some assessments but it’s clear and obvious that he will be out for quite a long time.”
There has also been concern about the seriousness of what Endo required on the pitch at Sunderland, with discussion online about the treatment used during the stoppage, which added to the sense that this was not a minor knock.
For now, the clearest message from Slot is that Endo is facing a lengthy spell out, that we will not see the Japan captain in the short term, and that any realistic optimism is aimed at the back end of the season rather than the next run of fixtures.
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