Arne Slot has ruled Florian Wirtz out of playing in Liverpool's double header against Wolves this week - but he could be fit to face Galatasaray or Tottenham next week. The Reds make the trip to Molineux on Tuesday to take on Rob Edwards' bottom-placed outfit in the Premier League before making a swift return three days later for their FA Cup fifth round encounter.
However, they will be forced to manage without key playmaker Wirtz, who remains out of action with a back problem. Slot had informed journalists about the German international's unavailability following the 5-2 home triumph over West Ham United on Saturday, and having addressed the media at his pre-match press conference on Monday, the situation remains largely unchanged.
When questioned about Wirtz, the Liverpool head coach said: "It's not anything different to what I said after the game [against West Ham]. The game tomorrow will probably come too soon and maybe the game at the weekend as well.
"But let's see how it ends up. We hope to have him back somewhere next week. Maybe earlier, maybe a bit later, but that time scale."
The Reds were forced to select a team on Saturday without Wirtz and another player who has grown progressively vital in recent weeks - Jeremie Frimpong.
The Dutch full-back has now recovered from his own knock and caught the eye after coming on from the bench for the closing 20 minutes against the Hammers.
Yet Slot adopted a cautious tone and plans to manage the former Bayer Leverkusen star carefully, given the congested fixture schedule ahead. Slot stated: "Having Jeremie back is very nice but playing three games in seven days is a challenge.
"We have to take into account a lot of games, especially players who come back from injuries. But we know the importance of every game now. But I'm not the only one to have that. I prefer to manage how many minutes he can be given rather than see him with the medical team."
Following the two fixtures against Wolves, Liverpool travel to Istanbul to take on Galatasaray for a Champions League round-of-16 first leg.