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Liverpool midfielder Alexis Mac Allister missed his side's dramatic 3-2 victory over Newcastle United in the Premier League because of a minor injury that is not expected to keep him out for long.
Head coach Arne Slot used Dominik Szoboszlai at right-back and Curtis Jones in the center of the field alongside Ryan Gravenberch in Mac Allister's absence, with Rio Ngumoha scoring a 110th minute winner. But Mac Allister should be back in contention for the huge game with Arsenal at Anfield next weekend.
“We are hoping [he will be available], yes," Slot confirmed during his post-match press conference. Liverpool hosts the Gunners on Sunday, the day before the transfer deadline arrives.
“He had to leave the training pitch two days ago and that would not even be the biggest problem if he would have had a proper pre-season," Slot continued. "But he missed out for so many weeks.
"There is a reason why you go inside, because you probably feel something. That is the difficult balance to find with players that were out for so long in pre-season.
"There you bring the base for the whole season and you can see these intensity levels, like we faced last week and this topped it up 10 times, I think.
"Then you need to be so, so, so fit and then it is always a risk if you bring a player that had a pre-season like this, had to go out two days ago in a training session, in this environment.
"With such a long season to go, it was too much of a risk for me. But I am hoping — hoping — that things in the upcoming one or two days so that he is available for Sunday."
Slot was also asked about transfers with Liverpool still hoping that a deal for Newcastle striker Alexander Isak is possible in the next few days. But he was giving little away on that front.
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"We should talk about the game and Hugo Ekitike scoring for the third game in a row," he said. "This is not the moment or the place to say anything else."
On the game as the result as a whole, he added: "I feel relieved, because if you are 2-0 up against 10 men...they brought it back to 2-2 and maybe it was even deserved.
"Then they had more chances than we had. Their fans were so loud — wow! It was an amazing atmosphere.
"To end with a goal during the best attack we had... the feeling is relief. We found a way to win."
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