Arne Slot has delivered a fresh blow to Liverpool’s momentum, confirming that record-signing Florian Wirtz will remain sidelined for Tuesday night’s Premier League trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers.
The German playmaker, who arrived in a high-profile £116m move from Bayer Leverkusen last summer, continues to struggle with a back injury that forced his eleventh-hour withdrawal against Nottingham Forest and kept him out of the 5-2 weekend win over West Ham.
While Slot initially hoped for a quick recovery, he admitted in his post-match press conference that the Molineux clash “will probably be too early” for the 22-year-old.
Liverpool didn’t let this injury setback stop them from picking up a convincing three points against West Ham United in the Premier League, however, as a rampant display from the home side at Anfield resulted in the Reds collecting a comprehensive 5-2 victory.
Of course, as is customary this season, Liverpool had some dicey moments, but for the most part, it was a clinical and deadly display from a side who are very much in the race to snatch that final Champions League position.
The pressure is now on Manchester United to pick up a victory against Crystal Palace on Sunday, while Chelsea has an extremely tough test in their own bid to sneak into these coveted spots, as they face league leaders Arsenal.
Slot will need to use the full squad available to him, with only three days left to recovery before travelling to Molineux to ensure no more injuries pop up, with the injury list at Anfield at the moment a sore sight to take in.
Liverpool’s injury list:
| Player | Injury type | Status | Expected return |
| Florian Wirtz | Back injury | Out vs Wolves | March |
| Alexander Isak | Fibula Fracture | Rehab | End of March/April |
| Wataru Endo | Foot/Leg | Out (Long Term) | May 2026 |
| Conor Bradley | Knee (Ligament) | Out (Long Term) | 2026/27 pre-season |
| Giovanni Leoni | ACL (Knee) | Out (Season) | 2026/27 pre-season |
| Stefan Bajcetic | Hamstring | Training Individually | Late March |
| Jayden Danns | Fitness/Muscle | Undergoing Rehab | Mid-March |
The first player named in this long list of absentees will be the most infuriating, with Florian Wirtz finally clicking into gear at Liverpool, before coming down with a back issue in the warm-up at Nottingham Forest.
Indeed, the unlucky German had a bumper six-goal contributions to shout about from his last nine Liverpool outings, before this unfortunate situation arose.
Slot spoke to the media about his star man’s ailment, after the barnstorming victory against the Hammers, with it being bleak, immediate news for the Wolves clash.
The latest on Wirtz’s injury status
When being quizzed on a return date for Wirtz, Slot was open and candid in his remarks.
The ex-Feyenoord boss explained, when speaking on whether the 22-year-old would be available for the clash at Molineux – “I think that will be too early, but I said last week I didn’t expect him not to be available for today, so sometimes with an injury, things can develop in a positive way or a negative way.
“Now we are thinking it doesn’t have to take too long, but Tuesday will probably be too early.
“The week after will be tight, as things stand now. But as I said, I thought he would be available for today as well, which didn’t happen, unfortunately.”
It remains to be seen when Slot will next be able to call upon Wirtz to start, with it looking unlikely he will be rushed back for the game at the Premier League’s basement club.
It’s not been all bad news on the injury front, though, as the Dutchman was able to – at least – welcome back Jeremie Frimpong to the first team mix against the Hammers, as Slot just has to wrestle with more selection dilemmas between now and the close of the long season.
