4 G/A in 7 Premier League games: Arne Slot gives the press huge update on key man | OneFootball

Liverpool are expected to receive a huge boost after the international break as Arne Slot has confirmed that Diogo Jota is close to returning to action for the Reds.

The Portuguese forward impressed the new Liverpool boss during pre-season and that led to the 27-year-old being handed the number nine role for the Merseyside club’s first game of the season against Ipswich Town.

Jota rewarded his manager’s faith at Portman Road as the forward scored, which would see the former Wolves star become Slot’s starting striker throughout the opening phase of the 2024/25 campaign.

The Portugal international has produced two goals and two assists across seven Premier League games this term, adding two more strikes in all competitions; however, Liverpool have been without the forward for their last five matches.

During the Reds’ 2-1 win over Chelsea at Anfield last month, Jota suffered an injury setback, which is always a worry given the player’s fitness history.

The 27-year-old was expected back once the upcoming international break had concluded but Slot told the press on Friday morning that the Portuguese star’s return will now be “the first weeks after the international break.”

“We expect him back after the international break… the first weeks after the international break we expect him back,” the Dutch coach said via Liverpool.com. “I always say in Holland there is privacy about this and I don’t know how it is over here. Like I just said, he will be back one or two weeks after the international break.”

Diogo Jota in action for Liverpool. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Do Liverpool miss Diogo Jota?

Although Jota’s return from injury has been pushed back, it is a boost for Liverpool knowing that they will have the forward available for selection by the end of November.

In his absence, Slot’s men have been doing fantastic without the Portuguese star as they have won all but one of their five games. Darwin Nunez, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo have all stepped up for the Reds, making huge contributions across these games – the highlight being the Colombian’s hat-trick against Bayer Leverkusen on Tuesday.

The return of a player with the quality of Jota will always be a boost for any team but in his absence, Liverpool have shown that they are able to cope with one of their frontmen being injured as the Premier League giants are blessed with some very good options in their forward areas.