Arne Slot gives Liverpool injury update ahead of Man Utd and Arsenal friendlies

Andy Robertson is set to miss Liverpool’s US pre-season tour matches against Real Betis, Arsenal and Manchester United.

The Reds begin their Stateside tour against Betis on Friday night before meetings with two of their biggest Premier League rivals. Arsenal await in Philadelphia on 1 August with a friendly clash with United taking place three days later in South Carolina.

Robertson suffered an ankle injury during Scotland’s Euro 2024 campaign which ended at the group stages with the left-back expected to return at the back end of the US tour.

‘He is not fully fit yet,’ Slot said of Robertson. ‘But we are expecting him in the end of the tour – maybe just after the tour – to be fully fit again.

‘He took a small injury into the Euros and afterwards he had to recover from that after playing those games. But we will expect him back after our tour – but he joined us over here.’

In total, Liverpool are without 11 players as they begin their tour with a large contingent of the squad still on their summer breaks following Euro 2024 and the Copa America.

Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Ryan Gravenberch, Ibrahima Konate, Luis Diaz, Alisson Becker and Darwin Nunez are all still on holiday.

Diogo Jota is expected to link up with the squad this week with Slot expecting more faces to arrive before they head back to Merseyside.

‘Diogo is arriving today I think, so he will have his testing day tomorrow and the day after he will join us in the session,” Slot said.

‘And I think it’s Ibou [Konate] and Ryan that will join us later in the trip. I don’t think I have forgotten anyone. The rest will start after the trip when we are back in Liverpool.’

Alexander-Arnold meanwhile has been strongly linked with a move to Real Madrid with his current contract at Anfield set to expire next summer.

Quizzed on his right-back, Slot said: ‘My answer would probably be a bit boring… I think it’s the same answer you’ve heard in the last five, six or seven years. Contract situations are not discussed at this place.’

Liverpool begin the new Premier League campaign away to newly-promoted Ipswich Town on 17 August.