Arne Slot has confirmed that Diogo Jota and Harvey Elliott will not be in contention for Liverpool until after the final international break of the year.
The Reds are currently managing injuries in every department, and Slot knew he was already to be without Alisson until after the November break, which is in four games time.
But the Brazilian is now not the only confirmed player who Liverpool will be without for the double-header against Brighton and the upcoming visits of Bayer Leverkusen and Aston Villa.
Elliott has been out since September with a fractured foot, while Jota’s misfortune continued with bruised ribs suffered against Chelsea – and both are confirmed outs until mid-November.
In his press conference ahead of the League Cup trip to Brighton, Slot confirmed neither Jota nor Elliott would be available on Wednesday before being pressed on a return date.
Asked if he expected the No. 20 to return before the break, he said: “No, and Elliott the same.”
It is a big blow for Slot as he currently has just four of his six forward options available with Federico Chiesa also struggling to stay fit.
“It is a pity that Diogo Jota is not available and Federico Chiesa is also not available because they were, in my opinion, they were the most logical No. 9s,” he said.
In other injury news, the boss expects Conor Bradley to be back in contention for the matchday squad on Wednesday after sitting out of the last three games – a timely boost.
