‘He trained with us yesterday’ – Arne Slot drops key injury hint before Villa clash
Liverpool’s preparations for Saturday’s Premier League clash with Aston Villa have been boosted by a key return in midfield but not everyone will make it.
Ryan Gravenberch injury update before Liverpool vs Aston Villa
Speaking in his pre-match press conference, Arne Slot confirmed that Ryan Gravenberch has returned to training and could feature under the lights at Anfield.
“Ryan trained with us yesterday. The other two didn’t yet,” our head coach told reporters on Friday morning.
“As I said many times, in the end phase of the injury things can slow down a bit or things can go faster. Let’s wait and see where they are.”
The 23-year-old was substituted just after the hour mark during our 2–0 defeat to Manchester United earlier this month, and early reports suggested he could be out for up to six weeks.
That timeline now looks wide of the mark, with the Dutch midfielder potentially returning after only three matches out – far quicker than some feared after initial analysis from Physio Scout on X.
It’s a welcome boost for the champions, particularly with Curtis Jones and Alexander Isak both unavailable this weekend.
Curtis Jones absence a blow for Liverpool midfield
Slot admitted that Jones and Isak are “99.9 per cent sure not in the squad” for the Villa game. The pair remain sidelined as they recover from muscle issues sustained earlier in the month.
Jones’ absence is a real setback after his record-breaking performance against Eintracht Frankfurt in the Champions League, when our No.17 completed 122 passes – the most ever by a Liverpool player in the competition.
We’ll certainly miss his composure and control in midfield on Saturday.
The return of Gravenberch will help steady things, though, especially after our recent defeat to Crystal Palace, which underlined the need for experience in the middle of the pitch.
With Aston Villa, Real Madrid and Manchester City all coming up within ten days, we need every ounce of rhythm and sharpness we can muster.
Gravenberch’s availability could be the lift we need to rediscover momentum and it’s hard to overstate how important that is, heading into this defining week of the season.
You can watch Slot’s full pre-Aston Villa press conference via Empire of the Kop on YouTube:
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