Arne Slot has confirmed that neither Ibrahima Konate nor Conor Bradley will be available for Sunday’s match against West Ham United. However, the Liverpool manager stated that both players will be assessed ahead of next month’s game against Manchester United.
The Reds head into the West Ham match with a seven-point lead at the top of the Premier League following their 3-1 win over Leicester City on Boxing Day. Slot is currently only missing defenders Bradley and Konate, both of whom were injured in the 2-0 victory over Real Madrid on November 27.
When asked about their recovery, Slot explained that neither player will be ready for this weekend’s game but that their status will be reviewed in the coming days ahead of the January 5 clash with Manchester United, who are struggling under Ruben Amorim.
“They won’t be available for West Ham,” Slot said. “There’s a week between matches, so we’ll see how close they are by then. It’s hard to say at the moment because they haven’t trained with the group yet. Hopefully, in the next few days, they’ll get closer to being ready.”
He added, “Ibou has been out for five or six weeks, and Conor just as long. They’ll be competing for a spot with fully fit players who are in good form, so I’ll have to make the right decision when they’re ready to return.”
On Diogo Jota, who is working his way back from a two-month injury layoff and has yet to start a match since his return, Slot said: “We’re still managing his fitness. He’s been out for a long time and didn’t have much opportunity to train. After such a long injury, it’s not easy to jump straight into a starting role in this intense league.”
“He needs to build up his match fitness, and he’s competing for a place with some other top players who are currently in great form. He’s gradually improving and getting closer to starting, but there’s strong competition for his position.”
