Arne Slot offered Liverpool supporters a rare bit of positive news following their humbling Carabao Cup defeat.
Positives are hard to come by for Liverpool at the moment, but Arne Slot managed to identify one following the team’s Carabao Cup elimination.
A heavily rotated Reds side suffered a 3-0 defeat at Anfield to Crystal Palace, meaning the reigning Premier League champions have now lost six of their last seven games in all competitions and are out of contention for their first piece of silverware this season.
It’s been a bruising few weeks for Liverpool, not helped by injuries to Alisson Becker, Ryan Gravenberch, Alexander Isak, Jeremie Frimpong, Curtis Jones and long-term absentee Giovanni Leoni.
Slot offers Gravenberch injury boost
Despite the disappointment, Slot did provide a rare piece of encouragement for supporters when he revealed after the game that Ryan Gravenberch could make his return in time for Saturday’s clash against Aston Villa.
When asked for an update on his injured players, the Liverpool boss told liverpoolfc.com:
“I think Ryan has a good chance. The other ones are going to be… let’s wait and see tomorrow and Friday.
I don’t know about all of them, but I think Ryan has the best chance from all of them.”
A timely boost for the Reds
Gravenberch has missed Liverpool’s last three fixtures after twisting his ankle in the defeat to Manchester United, and even if he’d been fit, he likely wouldn’t have featured in tonight’s Carabao Cup tie given the lineup’s rotation.
Initially, the 23-year-old was expected to be sidelined for up to six weeks, so a return within two would be a massive lift for the Reds—particularly if Curtis Jones fails to recover in time for the Villa match.
Although Liverpool’s poor run began before Gravenberch’s injury, his absence has undoubtedly been felt, with the Dutchman having impressed throughout this season and built on his standout 2024/25 campaign.
A possible return this weekend would come at an ideal time for a Liverpool side desperate for positives, and Slot will be hoping more of his sidelined players can follow suit as they prepare to face Unai Emery’s in-form Aston Villa.
At this stage, the Reds will happily take any piece of good news they can get.
