Liverpool have to manage two crucial Premier League fixtures without starting right back Jeremie Frimpong after Arne Slot confirmed the Dutchman picked up a hamstring injury against Bournemouth.
Slot spoke to the media on Thursday ahead of Liverpool’s highly publicised trip to St. James’ Park to close out Gameweek 2 confirming the news: “The medical team were completely right about Jeremie [Frimpong] to tell me to take him off because he is out until the end of the international break and that happened during the game.”
The manager further highlighted Frimpong felt an issue with his hamstring and pushed back against outside criticism after substituting him in the game. Slot is not necessarily worried about Frimpong making a full recovery and staying fit moving forward, but the Netherlands defender is going to miss some crucial fixtures given the stated timeline.
Premier League Games Jeremie Frimpong Could Miss
Based on Slot’s timeline of a post-international break return, Frimpong could miss the following fixtures:
- Away at Newcastle United (Monday, Aug. 25)
- Home vs. Arsenal (Sunday, Aug. 31)
Two games isn’t the end of the world, but missing any time is a major hit to a Liverpool squad just welcoming back Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley into the fold. Both replacement options have trained sparingly this week and Gomez was only available for 20 minutes off the bench in the season opener. If Bradley is able to play, he is the likely replacement in the lineup with Gomez coming in to offer a reprieve somewhere in the second half.
Wataru Endō also played part of the game at right back, but was pushed into a more natural position in midfield after Gomez came on.
Frimpong, signed as the successor to Trent Alexander-Arnold, will miss two games with expected cauldron-like atmospheres. Liverpool’s away game against Newcastle is expected to be fireworks given the ongoing Alexander Isak transfer saga. Then, in the final game before the September international break, the Reds welcome title-hopeful Arsenal to Anfield.
Barring a setback, Frimpong should then be available to return away to Burnley at Turf Moor on Sept. 14.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as How Many Games Will Jeremie Frimpong Miss for Liverpool With a Hamstring Injury?.
