Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson may be sidelined for the upcoming Premier League clash against Bournemouth, as confirmed by manager Arne Slot. The Brazilian shot-stopper is nursing a minor injury.
Alisson has been absent from training since Liverpool‘s victory over AC Milan, according to Slot. “It happened a bit before the Milan game but after he felt it more and more,” the Reds’ boss revealed.
While there’s a chance he could return to training on Friday, Caoimhin Kelleher stands ready to step in, as he frequently did last season.
However, with Alisson having an issue going into the Champions League match, he could have been taken out of the team in favour of Kelleher to prevent the injury from worsening.
Instead, the 31-year-old has aggravated his hamstring strain and is a doubt to face Andoni Iraola’s outfit.
Should Alisson be ruled out, Liverpool will have to adapt, but retaining Kelleher despite interest from other clubs could prove crucial. Liverpool had agreed to sign Giorgi Mamardashvili, but he remains with Valencia until 2025.
Slot also fielded questions about Darwin Nunez. “Same like all the others: work really hard and the goals will come,” was Slot’s advice for the forward seeking a spot in the starting line-up.
“That is what he did vs Milan. Attackers score goals and assist – it happened to Cody [Gakpo]. If you play for Liverpool, you will always get goals and assists.”
“For me, it is more about what they do off the ball. We play a lot of games and he will get his chance in the future but he is in competition with Diogo [Jota] who in our opinion, has done really well in the last games.
“He came back with a lot of confidence from the Copa America. He has every right to have this confidence because everywhere he played, he scored goals. As long as he brings his work rate into the team he will score goals.”
