Liverpool manager Arne Slot has confirmed he expects Diogo Jota to be out for weeks rather than months.
The Portuguese striker scored Liverpool’s crucial equalizer in their recent 1-1 draw with Nottingham Forest at the City Ground – his fifth Premier League goal of the season – and had numerous other chances to win the game after coming on as a second substitute. half replacement.
The 28-year-old, who signed for £45m from Wolverhampton Wanderers in September 2020, has scored 64 goals in 164 appearances for Liverpool in all competitions, but has been on the sidelines 10 times during his time on Merseyside.
He was ruled out of the dramatic 2-0 win over Brentford at the weekend – a game in which Darwin Nunez scored twice in stoppage time – and Slot has confirmed Jota will not be fit for Tuesday’s Champions League game against Lille.
“Maybe one jot [will be back] a little earlier than Joe [Gomez]“It is expected that both will be back with us in weeks rather than months,” the Dutchman told reporters.
“But I have often said that the last phase of rehab is the most difficult, or sometimes the most difficult [can] add a few days or not. It is clear that we expect them to be with us again in the coming weeks.
“It’s always difficult to say exactly how long it will take. Neither will be out for months as long as the rehab goes as planned.”
Slot then confirmed that Jota’s latest problem was muscle related, which has been a common theme throughout his Liverpool career. The 28-year-old missed 12 games over a period of almost two months between October and December due to a similar problem and managed to return to the team as a substitute before starting in the FA Cup third round win against Accrington Stanley stood.
Liverpool are expected to put Nunez in charge in midweek after all but securing their place in the knockout stages of the new-look Champions League.