Liverpool manager Arne Slott is anxiously awaiting news on midfielder Curtis Jones after he was forced to leave the club’s pre-season friendly against Real Betis.
The 23-year-old limped off with a muscle issue 30 minutes into the 1-0 win at Pittsburgh’s Acrisure Stadium early Saturday morning.
Speaking to the club’s official website after his first game as Reds manager, Slott said: “I think it’s too early to judge (how badly). He could have carried on but I think you could see he wasn’t 100 per cent.”
We are waiting to find out the extent of the injury which forced Curtis Jones to leave the pitch during the first half of the 1-0 win against Real Betis ⤵️
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) July 27, 2024
“It was a friendly and there are still many days left on the tour so it was best to leave him out. We hope he recovers quickly but we’ll have to wait and see.”
“Hopefully he recovers quickly and we’ll see him in the next few games.”
Jones was replaced by 17-year-old Trey Nyoni, who helped set up Dominik Szoboszlai’s winning goal in the 34th minute.
Slott added: “It’s always disappointing when he (Jones) has to go off after 25 or 30 minutes and it was clear even before that he wasn’t completely free.”
“He’s been doing really well in the last two weeks of training so we were looking forward to seeing him in action but unfortunately he had to sit out.
“The good thing was I brought in players who impressed me over the next 45 to 45 minutes.
“It was good to have Curtis come in for Trey, but of course it’s disappointing for Curtis not to continue playing.”
Liverpool plays Arsenal in Philadelphia on Thursday before hosting Manchester United in Columbia, South Carolina, next Sunday.