Arne Slot shares concerning Florian Wirtz injury update with star out of West Ham clash

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Arne Slot admits he doesn't know when Florian Wirtz will be available again following the back injury the Liverpool midfielder sustained last weekend.

The Germany international was forced to pull out of the team that beat Nottingham Forest 1-0 on Sunday after hurting himself in the warm-up. Slot has now confirmed Wirtz will play no part when Liverpool host struggling West Ham on Saturday - and he's not sure when the former Bayer Leverkusen star will be back in action.

"Jeremie [Frimpong] trained with us a few times this week. So he's available. But I don't expect Florian [Wirtz] to be available," Slot said in his pre-match press conference on Friday morning.

"It's a disappointment. Every time a player is not available is a disappointment, it's something that I didn't expect after last week."

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While discussing a timeframe for Wirtz's return, Slot added: "At this moment in time, I don't know. Usually when I say that, I do know and I don't want to share that. But this time, I honestly don't know.

"It's a big accomplishment for Wirtz to stay fit for such a long time because he had to make a step up from where he played to the Premier League and Liverpool. It tells a lot about his mentality and work rate that he has stayed fit for so long.

"It is a disappointment for him and for us, because he has played really, really well lately."

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Liverpool head into Saturday's game against the Hammers knowing victory would take them level on points with Manchester United in fourth, with both the Red Devils and Chelsea playing on Sunday.

But Slot insists Liverpool will stay focused on themselves rather than the teams around them going into the final stretch of the season.

"The way I see it, this is another game for us and we are not so focussed on other teams as all managers always say. We are only focussed mainly on ourselves," he added.

"We know we need to win a lot of games, because our competitors for these Champions League places are very good teams as well. Winning a lot, that is where our focus is. Not so much about points and gaps although we are aware of the table. That's for sure."

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