Good news has been rare for Liverpool in recent times after losing nine out of their last 12 matches.
The mood around the club is at an all-time low after Wednesday’s punishing defeat against PSV Eindhoven, with Arne Slot’s position as head coach under real threat.
Liverpool have another game to contend with on Sunday, as they travel to face an in-form West Ham team.
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There was no let up for Slot in dealing with the press, with the Liverpool boss scheduled to appear at the AXA Training Centre on Thursday afternoon ahead of the weekend’s game.
While Slot confirmed he has spoken privately with the Liverpool owners who continue to back him for now, he did also deliver four positive updates before the Reds travel to London.
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One of the worst things about Wednesday’s loss was the sight of Hugo Ekitike coming off with an injury problem during the second-half.
Ekitike was one of Liverpool’s brightest players against PSV, and there were fears that he could now be missing for a little while.
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However, Slot relieved just about every Liverpool supporter by confirming that the Frenchman does not look to have picked up a big problem.
“Hugo today was recovery, but they don’t expect that it has to be a big issue,” he said. “But games come fast, so let’s see for the weekend. It shouldn’t have to be a big issue.”
Continuing the positivity, Slot also confirmed that after missing Wednesday’s game through illness, Alisson Becker is back available, while Florian Wirtz does not sound to be too far off either.
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“Ali trained again with the team today, we hope and expect him to be available at the weekend,” said Slot.
“Florian will have final day of rehab tomorrow, if that all goes well he could train on Saturday.”
Joe Gomez ready to return for Liverpool
As well as reporting that three Liverpool players are close to returning, Slot added a fourth piece of good news when asked about the fitness of Joe Gomez.
Gomez’s potential role has become bigger with every passing Ibrahima Konate disasterclass, and according to Slot, the 28-year-old is ready to start.
“He could have been involved yesterday in terms of minutes, but when we are 2-1 or 3-1 down I tend to make offensive substitutions,” said Slot.
“He could have started, but he was not able to train two days before, so that would have been a risk as well. I decided to keep him there in case Ibou was injured.”
Given Konate’s dreadful form, it would be a relief to see Gomez line up next to Virgil van Dijk at the London Stadium on Sunday.
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