His system relies heavily on midfield control, yet recent matches have seen Liverpool lose their grip in transition. The return of Ryan Gravenberch and Wataru Endo could help stabilise matters. The contest for the No9 role remains unresolved.

Liverpool return to Premier League action on Sunday when they host Manchester United at Anfield, with Arne Slot hoping to have a number of his injured players back

The Reds entered the international period in dreadful form after suffering three successive defeats for the first time in Arne Slot’s tenure, but club football’s hiatus has provided the reigning Premier League champions with some much-needed respite.

Manchester United face their biggest match of the season so far, a trip to Anfield to take on fierce rivals Liverpool.

Ibrahima Konate has returned to training ahead of Liverpool’s match against Man United, as Arne Slot gave several updates at his pre-match press conference. During the international break, Konate had to withdraw from the France squad due to his quad injury sustained against Chelsea.

“Japan National Team will be without Wataru Endo (Liverpool FC) due to injury in the Kirin Challenge Cup 2025,” read the official statement. There is hope that he could return for the United match, but much depends on how he responds in training over the coming days.

As mentioned above, Ibrahima Konate did not finish the game against Chelsea and Slot has confirmed the substitution was injury related. The Frenchman complained about a quad issue but has joined up with the France squad in what is a huge boost ahead of the Man Utd fixture.

Liverpool have an "OUTSTANDING" 😍 youth ⭐️ named as one of the BEST 😳 young talents 💪 in the Premier League!

A stoppage-time defeat to Chelsea before the international break cost Liverpool more than points. It knocked them off the top of the Premier League and handed Arsenal a one-point advantage. Slot now faces the very rivalry that has defined managerial tenures — the fixture where reputations are restored or fractured.