Liverpool have received a boost ahead of their Premier League clash with Fulham this weekend as Marco Silva has announced his side have a serious injury situation.
When asked by West London Sport if his newly promoted side is ready for the start of the campaign, Silva responded ‘no’.
Despite winning the Championship in emphatic fashion last year and scoring 106 league goals in the process, the Portuguese manager explained that he feels the squad as a collective are not ready for the step up, but he does believe his players as individuals are set for the challenge.
“These players, they are ready for the Premier League. The players that we have right now, I congratulate them for the work they have been doing."
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"We, as a squad, we are not ready. These players, they are ready.”
Silva went on to explain the worries he had regarding the current injury situation at the club, especially in the backline:
“I will tell you one more. No-one can prepare for one season with just two central defenders. We have two central defenders at this level
"We cannot be five weeks into the pre-season with two central defenders. We can’t be competitive in this situation and I can talk more positions as well but this will not help at all.”
Considering the quality and depth of the Red’s attack, it is no surprise that Silva seems so worried about his defence, but his recent comments will undoubtedly instil hope in Liverpool players and fans.
The Merseyside club earned their first bit of silverware of the season last weekend as they beat Man City 3-1 to win the Community Shield.
New summer signing Darwin Nunez started the game on the sidelines, but after seriously impressing in the second half from the bench, the Uruguayan will be in strong contention to start against Fulham.
Jurgen Klopp will hope his team can continue their strong form by starting the League season with a win as they look to take the trophy away from Manchester this year.
Ben King