Liverpool manager Arne Slot has confirmed that he expects Diogo Jota to be out for weeks rather than months.
The Portuguese striker scored a vital goal for Liverpool in their recent 1-1 draw against Nottingham Forest at The Metropolis Floor (his fifth Premier League goal of the season) and had plenty of other chances to win the match after coming on as second. . substitute medium.
The 28-year-old, a £45million signing from Wolverhampton Wanderers in September 2020, has scored 64 goals in 164 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool but has spent ten separate spells on the sidelines during his time on Merseyside.
He was ruled out of the weekend’s dramatic 2-0 win over Brentford, a match in which Darwin Núñez scored twice in stoppage time, and Slot has confirmed that Jota will not be fit to face Lille in the League of Champions on Tuesday.
“Maybe Jota (will be back) a little before joe (Gomez),” the Dutchman told reporters. “Both are expected to return to us in weeks and not months.
“But I have said many times before that the last stage of rehabilitation is the most difficult, or the one that sometimes (can) add a few days or not. It is clear that we hope that you will return to us in the coming weeks.
“It’s always difficult to say exactly how long it is. “They both won’t be out for months, that’s for sure, as long as the rehab goes according to plan.”
Slot then confirmed that Jota’s latest problem was muscle-related, which is a common theme in his Liverpool career. The 28-year-old missed 12 games in a nearly two-month period between October and December with a comparable problem, and returned to the team as a substitute before starting in the FA Cup third round win over Accrington Stanley.
Liverpool are expected to move Nunez up front in midweek, having already secured their place in the knockout stages of the revamped Champions League.
