Ryan Gravenberch has been ruled out of Liverpool’s trip to Eintracht Frankfurt due to a minor ankle injury.
Liverpool head coach Arne Slot has confirmed that midfielder Ryan Gravenberch will miss the Reds’ Champions League trip to Eintracht Frankfurt on Wednesday evening after suffering a minor ankle injury against Manchester United last weekend.
The Netherlands international was forced off shortly after the hour mark in Liverpool’s 2-1 Premier League defeat at Anfield after spraining his ankle while challenging Casemiro. Despite the injury being described as “minor”, it was enough to keep Gravenberch out of the 21-man traveling squad to Germany, with Slot highlighting the impact of his absence on the team.
“Yes, I had to take him off this weekend because he was limping a bit, as we could all see. So unfortunately he won’t be ready to play tomorrow,” Slot told Liverpoolfc.com.
“That already means that I have to change at least one player and now that he is gone, it could also mean something for others, because he has such a special quality in our team, which we saw when we played against Bournemouth for example, when we played against the Community Shield, that we were a bit missing a player who always protected our back four.”
The absence of the number 38 leaves a notable hole in the structure of Liverpool’s midfield. Gravenberch has been an important figure for Slot, especially in protecting the defense and providing the kind of stability that the Reds have lacked in important games. However, Slot remained optimistic that Gravenberch would be available again soon.
“Ryan is not available for the match against Frankfurt, hopefully he will be available this weekend. But it is an ankle injury, we have to wait and see, give him some time and see where he is when we get back from Frankfurt,” he added.
Liverpool’s travel plans were further complicated by a delay of more than three hours at John Lennon Airport due to technical problems with the plane. The team ultimately departed for Frankfurt without the need to divert to an alternative airport and arrived safely before Wednesday evening’s match.
The traveling squad sees a welcome return for Wataru Endo, who missed the weekend’s match due to a hamstring problem, which also kept him out of action for Japan during the international break. Federico Chiesa has also been included, avoiding the surprising omission that had occurred in previous matchday selections.
Liverpool are still without first-choice goalkeeper Alisson Becker, who continues to be hampered by a hamstring problem, and teenage centre-back Giovanni Leoni, who is out for the season after cruciate ligament surgery.
Gravenberch’s imminent return would provide a significant boost for Liverpool, who face a demanding run of seven games in 22 days.
After their clash with Brentford, the Reds have three home games in three different competitions: Crystal Palace in the League Cup, Aston Villa in the Premier League and Real Madrid in the Champions League before traveling to Manchester City for a mouth-watering encounter between the last two Premier League champions.
Slot’s management of squad rotation and injury recovery will be crucial in this period, with Liverpool looking to regain momentum after the recent defeat at Anfield.
While Gravenberch’s absence poses a tactical challenge, the return of Endo and the inclusion of Chiesa Slot provide additional options and flexibility heading into one of the busiest periods of the season.
The full 21-man squad for the Champions League trip is: Endo, Van Dijk, Konaté, Kerkez, Wirtz, Szoboszlai, Isak, Mac Allister, Salah, Bradley, Chiesa, Jones, Gakpo, Ekitike, Mamardashvili, Robertson, Woodman, Frimpong, Ngumoha, Misciur.
#Arne #Slot #Ryan #Gravenberch #injury #update #ahead #Eintracht #Frankfurt #draw