Liverpool have received a boost ahead of their Premier League clash with Fulham this weekend, with Marco Silva revealing that his team is facing a serious injury crisis.
Silva answered “no” when asked by West London Sport if his newly promoted team is prepared for the start of the season.
Although the team as a whole is not ready for the step up, the Portuguese manager explained that he does believe his players as individuals are up for the challenge, despite the fact that they won the Championship in convincing fashion last year and scored 106 league goals in the process.
“These players, they are ready for the Premier League. The players that we have right now, I congratulate them for the work they have been doing.”
“We, as a squad, we are not ready. These players, they are ready.”
Silva went on to express his concerns about the club’s current injury situation, particularly in the backline:
“I will tell you one more. No-one can prepare for one season with just two central defenders. We have two central defenders at this level
“We cannot be five weeks into the pre-season with two central defenders. We can’t be competitive in this situation and I can talk more positions as well but this will not help at all.”
Liverpool won their first piece of silverware of the season last weekend, defeating Manchester City 3-1 in the Community Shield.
Darwin Nunez, a new signing for the summer, started the game on the sidelines, but the Uruguayan will be a strong candidate to start against Fulham after making a significant impression in the second half while coming off the bench.
Jurgen Klopp will be hoping that his team can maintain their strong form by starting the League season with a win as they look to dethrone Manchester United this year.