- Diogo Jota made his first senior appearance since October in 2-2 Fulham draw
- The Portuguese netted within minutes of his return to rescue a point for the Reds
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Arne Slot has revealed that Diogo Jota ‘wasn’t completely fit’ after making a goalscoring return to first-team action against Fulham.
The Reds boss, whose side claimed a 2-2 draw against the Cottagers at Anfield despite playing the majority of the match with 10 men, confirmed that the Portuguese will not start Wednesday’s Carabao Cup clash against Southampton.
The tie against the Premier League strugglers could offer the Dutchman a chance to rotate a side that has shown signs of fatigue in recent weeks. And though Slot is still hopeful of the striker featuring, it will not be from the outset.
‘Diogo would have been definitely one that it was ideal for him to play,’ said Slot. ‘But after the [Fulham] game he wasn’t completely fit, so he didn’t train with us yesterday. Let’s see if he can train with us today.
‘Don’t expect him to start. Hopefully he can make some minutes, but don’t expect him to start tomorrow.’
The Premier League leaders will be desperate to ensure that no unnecessary strain is put on the on the forward, who came off the bench to rescue a point on his first appearance since October.
Diogo Jota will not start Liverpool’s Carabao Cup clash against Southampton on Wednesday
Arne Slot has revealed that the Portuguese ‘wasn’t completely fit’ after his return to first team action on Saturday
Kostas Tsimikas is getting closer to a return to action following his recovery from an ankle injury
Slot was able to offer a positive update on the condition of Kostas Tsimikas, who has been out since November with an ankle injury.
It remains to be seen whether he will feature against the Saints – who will be led by caretaker boss Simon Rusk following the sacking of Russell Martin – but the news is a timely one given the injury and suspension to Andy Robertson.
‘[Tsimikas] has made the first positive step,’ he said. ‘But when players are back on the grass, still [for] playing time sometimes there is a little bit of time in between that.
‘But I cannot say exactly how long because not every player reacts in the same way. Some players are earlier back with the same injury and some players need a little bit more time.’