Liverpool injury boost is coming - and it's perfect timing for Arne Slot

Liverpool could welcome back a couple of players from injury ahead of the weekend visit of West Ham in the Premier League, with the race for the Champions League spots heating up

Liverpool head coach Arne Slot is hoping to finish the season strongly(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

Dominik Szoboszlai has done well there and Curtis Jones filled in successfully in the FA Cup, but Liverpool has been without a proper right-back for a few weeks now.

Joe Gomez is another option, of course, but it was interesting that Arne Slot overlooked him against Nottingham Forest last weekend. Szoboszlai and Jones both had a go on that occasion, with mixed success.

Heading into this weekend, though, Slot said a week ago that he was hopeful of having Jeremie Frimpong back. And even if the Dutchman isn't ready to play or to start, it shouldn't be long before he is seen again.

"Jeremie will not be involved [against Nottingham Forest]," Slot said last Thursday. "We hope he will be involved next week [against West Ham United] if things go as planned."

Slot also confirmed at the same time that Gomez was ready to start last weekend, but he opted, in the end, to play two midfielders in the full-back position instead.

Regardless, Frimpong's return brings direct benefits, of course. He is a considerably more natural right-back than the midfielders who have slotted in there while he has been absent and had started to show his true ability level just before his latest setback.

Jeremie Frimpong picked up an injury at the end of last month(Image: Justin Setterfield/Getty Images)

But arguably even more importantly, Liverpool needs as many options as it can get in the center of the field at the moment, where the likes of Alexis Mac Allister and Ryan Gravenberch have been toiling.

Having Frimpong available again will mean the end of the Szoboszlai at right-back experiment. The Hungarian, when he is shifted away from the middle, is missed.

Szoboszlai has arguably been the best player in the Premier League this season, but his best position, quite clearly, is in the middle. Liverpool can't afford to miss out on the quality he offers there, not least with its other options struggling.

Equally, it should mean Jones is an extra option in the center, whether that is from the start or from the bench. He too can play right-back, but is much better elsewhere.

Though Mac Allister scored the winner last weekend, his performance was one that fell well below par.

And though that is not purely an issue of a lack of energy in the middle of the pitch, Mac Allister and Gravenberch both looked in need of a rest at the City Ground, even with the pair having just had a week to prepare.

With Frimpong returning, Liverpool will feel the benefits at right-back and elsewhere. And with some crucial — and winnable — fixtures coming up in the race for the Champions League places, the timing couldn't be better.