Liverpool’s swashbuckling head coach, Arne Slot, has confirmed that Liverpool’s prodigious talisman Curtis Jones, is in a race against time to be fit for next week’s massive clash against Manchester United.

Jones, who played a starring role in Liverpool’s opening day win against Ipswich Town, suffered a slight pull in training earlier this week. This unfortunate setback forced him to sit out of the Reds’ recent 2-0 triumph over Brentford at Anfield.

Carlo Bruil Fotografie, CC BY 2.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0, via Wikimedia Commons

Liverpool is in preparation, then, for the red-hot derby against crosstown rivals; even Slot confesses Jones’ appearance is in doubt. The Liverpool boss stated he hoped the talented midfielder would recover somehow and admitted that this could prove to be a well-nigh impossible race against time for such a thing.

“It is going to be really tight,” Slot said. “Injuries can be unpredictable, and thus, it is tough to say for certain how he is going to get on over the next few days. While he isn’t going to be out for a long time, concerning the Manchester United match, it is a race against time for him.”

In stark contrast, Wataru Endo came on for his seasonal bow from the bench deep into stoppage time at Brentford. The Japanese midfielder has been pushed way down the pecking order under Slot, but the Reds have rejected a tempting offer from Marseille.

Slot feels that Endo will play a big part in Liverpool’s season ahead and described what one of his players means to the club. “We believe to have a strong midfield department, of which Wataru is an essential member,” he said. “He has been training very hard, and his performance against Brentford showed his quality. He faces strong competition for a starting role, but I am sure he will be an important player for us throughout the season.”