Liverpool goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros has seen his loan spell with Ajax end early with a serious knee injury which left him in “a lot of pain” and needing surgery.
Jaros had emerged through the chaos at Ajax to establish himself as one of Liverpool’s top-performing loanees this season, making 26 starts for the Dutch club.
But an injury suffered in training last week has forced the 24-year-old to undergo surgery ahead of a return for rehabilitation at the AXA Training Centre.
There have been claims it is an ACL injury for Jaros – though those are as yet unconfirmed – and Ajax are already planning for life without him after he bid farewell to his team-mates.
LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Saturday, November 9, 2024: Liverpool's substitute goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros on the bench before the FA Premier League match between Liverpool FC and Aston Villa FC at Anfield. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
Maarten Paes has taken his place in the side and made his debut in Saturday’s 1-1 draw with NEC Nijmegen, and speaking ahead of that game Ajax head coach Frank Grim detailed Jaros’ injury.
“This has an impact, let’s put it that way,” Grim told ESPN, per Voetbalprimeur.
“Never fun, but we just have to keep going. That’s the reality.
“He was in a lot of pain. You still hope it’s not too bad, but it didn’t look good.
“I’ve spoken to several players. Again, it’s very frustrating. But we have to keep going. Everyone knows that.”
Vitezslav Jaros: Ajax Stats 2025/26
|Statistic|
|---|---|
|Matches Played|19|
|Minutes Played|1,710|
|Clean Sheets|5|
|Goals Conceded|23|
|Penalty Saves|0/3|
|Match Rating|7.16|
* Performance data for Eredivisie 2025/26 campaign via FotMob.
Jaros’ blow comes after another season-ender for Oleksandr Zinchenko, which came just six minutes into his second game for Ajax since joining from Arsenal on a short-term contract.
It is also the third of Liverpool’s loans this campaign which have been brought to an end due to injury, with Isaac Mabaya (ankle) and Owen Beck (hamstring) leaving Wigan and Derby respectively earlier in the season.
James McConnell also returned from Ajax due to a lack of minutes and is yet to feature for Liverpool at either first team or academy level due to injury himself.
Vitezslav Jaros’ Liverpool future: Summer transfer or competing for No. 1?
BRIGHTON & HOVE, ENGLAND - Wednesday, October 30, 2024: Liverpool's goalkeeper Vitezslav Jaros lines-up before the Football League Cup 4th Round match between Brighton & Hove Albion FC and Liverpool FC at the AMEX Community Stadium. Liverpool won 3-2. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)
While this is undoubtedly a setback for Jaros, his time in Amsterdam will have only boosted his reputation further ahead of a likely summer transfer.
Liverpool can expect significant interest in the Czech Republic international, though it could also be argued that he deserves to compete with Giorgi Mamardashvili for the No. 1 role at Anfield when Alisson departs either this summer or next.
Mamardashvili has shown promising signs since his £29 million move from Valencia but it was telling that Arne Slot did not trust him to start in the recent FA Cup clash with Brighton.