Frimpong injury update emerges with Liverpool still short at right-back
Liverpool look set to remain without Jeremie Frimpong for at least one more week, with the right-back still in the final stages of recovery from a groin injury ahead of our Premier League trip to Nottingham Forest.
The update has been provided by Gregg Evans for The Athletic, who reports that the 25-year-old Netherlands international is expected to miss Sunday’s game as Liverpool continue to manage his return carefully after a frustrating sequence of setbacks.
“Liverpool are likely to be without Jeremie Frimpong for another week as he completes the final stages of his recovery from a groin injury,” Evans wrote.
“The 25-year-old right-back has missed the last four games and is expected to remain on the sidelines for the trip to Nottingham Forest on Sunday.”
It keeps Arne Slot’s options thin in a position that has caused repeated headaches since Trent Alexander-Arnold left for Real Madrid last summer, with Conor Bradley ruled out for the season and Wataru Endo also facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Our head coach spoke last week about the need for patience with returning players, especially Frimpong.
Frimpong injury update and what it means for Liverpool at right-back
Evans’ report underlined that the club are trying to avoid another relapse for Frimpong after a stop-start campaign that has already included two hamstring injuries before the latest groin problem.
That explains why we have repeatedly turned to midfielders at right-back, with Curtis Jones filling in against Brighton, while Dominik Szoboszlai has also covered there at points this season.
Joe Gomez is back fit enough to be involved, but Liverpool have also been cautious with his minutes after his own issues.
The concern for Slot is not simply getting Frimpong back, but getting him back without forcing the 25-year-old into the kind of workload that usually triggers another problem.
Jeremie Frimpong minutes this season
A glance at the league numbers tells its own story about why this has felt like a never-ending cycle.
Liverpool have played 26 Premier League games, but the Netherlands international has only started six of them, with 556 total minutes in the competition.
| Category | Figure |
|---|---|
| Appearances | 11 |
| Starts | 6 |
| Minutes | 556 |
| Assists | 1 |
| xA | 1.05 |
| Goals | 0 |
(Stats source: SofaScore)
With the Forest match arriving quickly after the FA Cup win over Brighton, this latest update suggests we are heading into another weekend of improvisation.
As the former Bayer Leverkusen man was on the end of some criticism for his performance against Bournemouth too, it’s a real balancing act to get Frimpong’s form and fitness at the right level.
Slot’s balancing act is clear enough: protect a player who needs rhythm and fitness, while also dealing with a thin right-back department that has already forced Liverpool into too many solutions that feel like short-term patches rather than a settled plan.
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