Arne Slot confirms Cody Gakpo injury blow as Liverpool defender ruled out for 'a long while'
Arne Slot has shared an injury update on Liverpool star Cody Gakpo, while Reds defender Joe Gomez has suffered a setback in his recovery from a hamstring injury
Arne Slot has revealed Liverpool will be without Cody Gakpo and Joe Gomez when they take on Aston Villa on Wednesday.
Gakpo picked up a knock in the Merseyside derby and missed the subsequent 2-1 win over Wolves on Sunday. Slot has insisted the injury is not a serious one, but the trip to Villa comes too soon for Gakpo.
Gomez, meanwhile, has been sidelined since January with a hamstring injury and Slot has now revealed that the defender may need to undergo surgery after suffering a setback and is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
"Cody and Joe are unavailable for tomorrow," Slot said ahead of Liverpool's clash with Villa. "Cody is quite close to being back, Joe is going to be out for a number of weeks because of a hamstring injury.
READ MORE: Jamie Carragher warns Arsenal that Liverpool could swoop for Gunners transfer targetREAD MORE: Roberto Firmino transfer reality clear as Al-Ahli stick to promise after axing star"A big blow for us but, first of all, for him because he tries to do everything to be with the team. He worked really hard to come back, then the first game he came back after two to three minutes, we saw him making a sprint and now he's out for weeks again.
"It's always very hard for a player in every part of the season, let alone the part of the season everyone is looking forward to. He (Gomez) will miss large parts of the end of the season but we expect him to be back in the end phase.
"He might (need surgery) but that's something we have to assess." Tyler Morton is also sidelined with a shoulder injury, but Curtis Jones will be back in contention after serving a one-match ban for his sending off against Everton.
And with Gakpo currently out of action, Diogo Jota is set for more opportunities after he made his first league start since October against Wolves. "(He can play) a role like many others. He did so well before his injury," Slot said of Jota.
"I couldn't even remember when his last start was for us in the Premier League. We have missed him for three or four months when it comes to a start. Chelsea was a long way back. We have missed our number nine that played in the first seven or eight games, every single game almost for three or four months.
"But now he is back and he played 60 (minutes). With these amount of games we play now, you don't expect him to play 90, 90, 90 in the upcoming three. But he will be involved hopefully in all the three games. And hopefully with a lot of minutes as well."
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