Liverpool fitness blow as star ruled out of Manchester United clash but one starter confirmed

Liverpool have been handed a fitness blow ahead of their Premier League clash with Manchester United this weekend.

Arne Slot confirmed key defender Joe Gomez is set to miss 'a few weeks' of action after he suffered a hamstring issue in their convincing win over West Ham United last time out. It leaves Liverpool with just five fit senior defenders for the match, two of which are left-backs.

Gomez had partnered Virgil van Dijk in central defence over recent weeks, with Jarell Quansah the likely candidate to come into the starting line up against United at Anfield. The fitness update is certainly a blow to Slot, though there was some good news with both Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley set to return to tram training on Friday.

Asked for an injury update ahead of the match, Slot told reporters: “Joe is not in a good place in terms of his injury. He’s out for a few weeks that’s for sure. Ibou and Conor will train with us for the first time today. [I’m] curious and interested to see where they are exactly. They’ve worked hard to come back to the team but the next step is always: how do you handle team sessions. We trained yesterday and I assume everybody is fit, but we’re in a period where people get sick as well."

It won't come as any surprise, but Slot also confirmed one guaranteed starter for the clash, with Trent Alexander-Arnold certain to play despite ongoing speculation regarding a move to Real Madrid.

Asked if he could rule out an exit for the full-back this month, the Liverpool boss added: “I can tell you he is playing on Sunday and hopefully he brings the same performances as he brought in for the last half-year because everybody saw how great a first half of the season he had, how much he is here, how much he wants to win here. "He played an incredible game against West Ham, we all remember the pass he gave to Mo. I see him on the training ground every day working his ass off. He is fully committed to us and he will play on Sunday – if they don't tell me he is sick but I don't expect them to.

"There is always room for improvement for every player. Trent can still improve I think. I've seen a bit of improvement already this season. These players are top of the world so there is not a lot of room for improvement anymore but there is always a bit of improvement. Especially defensively, Trent, in my opinion, has made a step up this season. I think in some games he was outstanding in every part of the game. But sometimes there has been a bit of up and down as well. In other games he could have done a bit better so it's about consistency for top players and that is maybe where the biggest improvement for Trent is."