Liverpool's Curtis Jones suffered an injury during their 1-0 win over Real Betis, leaving fans and the team concerned.
The talented midfielder was forced off the pitch within 30 minutes of the match, which took place in Pittsburgh during Liverpool's preseason tour in the United States.
Jones started the Reds' first match under new manager Arne Slot, which was settled by a first-half goal from Dominik Szoboszlai.
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Curtis Jones injury update: What happened?
Jones suffered a knock in the first half and was replaced by Trey Nyoni, primarily as a precaution. Slot remains hopeful that Jones' injury is not severe. In a post-match interview, Slot shared:
"I'm not expecting it to be really worse. Ideally, he would have played on, of course. I don't think it's a big problem but we have to wait and see when they test it tomorrow."
Slot has been impressed with Jones' performance in recent weeks, stating:
"He did really well in the last few weeks and [I] was looking forward to seeing him in this position."
Jones, who has expressed his happiness working under Slot, will undergo further tests to determine the extent of his injury before Liverpool's next game against Arsenal in Philadelphia.
Liverpool's lineup concerns
The injury comes at a challenging time for Liverpool, as they are already missing senior left-back Andy Robertson and young midfielder James McConnell.
Robertson is recovering from an injury sustained during Euro 2024, while McConnell missed the Betis game due to a minor issue. Despite these setbacks, Liverpool secured a deserved victory against the La Liga side.
Slot, who recently took over from Jurgen Klopp, praised his team's performance but acknowledged there is room for improvement.
"We created five or six really good attacks and the goal was a fantastic example of that."
He also mentioned that Liverpool played with a double 10 formation, which might change once they have a centre-forward.
In the absence of Jones, Nyoni stepped in and played well, showcasing Liverpool's depth and potential in their younger players. Slot highlighted the importance of developing young talent, noting:
"We know we have a lot of good players and if the youngsters can help during the season, that is good of course."
As Liverpool prepare for their next match against Arsenal, the team and fans will be hoping for good news on Jones' condition. Regardless, Slot remains optimistic about the way his squad are adapting to life after Klopp's departure.
"I'm really impressed with the energy of the whole team and the way that they really want to implement everything that we're trying to teach them."
