Liverpool boss Arne Slot has revealed a timeline for Florian Wirtz’s potential return after the midfielder missed the match against West Ham United due to injury.
Wirtz has found his rhythm in the second half of the season after a challenging start at Liverpool. The German midfielder recorded four goals and two assists in a six-game spell in all competitions in January but has since missed the last two matches after being withdrawn from the starting XI.
He was initially due to start against Nottingham Forest, but withdrew just minutes before kick-off.
The 22-year-old was absent again on Saturday as Liverpool dismantled the Hammers at Anfield after being ruled out due to the back problem he suffered the weekend before. Head coach Arne Slot confirmed before the match that the former Bayer Leverkusen player would not play and admitted there was no clear timetable for his return.
Speaking after the matchSlot suggested Wirtz is highly unlikely to be involved in Tuesday’s meeting with Wolverhampton Wanderers and made no guarantees on his availability for the FA Cup trip to Molineux.
‘But I said last week that I didn’t expect him to be unavailable today, so with an injury things can sometimes develop positively or negatively.
‘Now we think it shouldn’t take too long, but Tuesday is probably too early.
“The next week will be tight as things stand now.”
Blow
During his first fifteen league matches of the season, Wirtz completed the full 90 minutes only once. However, before his first absence against Forest in February, the 22-year-old had managed to play seven of his previous top 10 games, suggesting his workload has increased significantly.
Since suffering a cruciate ligament tear at the age of 18, the midfielder has only been sidelined once due to injury. During the closing stages of his final Bundesliga season, when a knee problem kept him out for around a month.
His only other absence this season has been due to a minor muscle problem, so Liverpool supporters will be optimistic that this latest complaint is not serious.
Liverpool visit Molineux twice next week, with Tuesday’s Premier League encounter against Wolves followed by an FA Cup fifth round tie at the same venue on Friday evening.
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