Liverpool manager Arne Slot has stated that the club profoundly misses former player Diogo Jota both as a footballer and as a person, months after his tragic death.
The Portuguese winger died in a car accident last summer at the age of 28.
Speaking ahead of his team’s Premier League fixture against Nottingham Forest this weekend, Slot addressed the emotional weight still felt by the squad. His comments came after Liverpool defender Andy Robertson admitted he had been “in bits” before a recent international match with Scotland.
“I saw the interview [with Robertson] live and I know that it is an issue for us, which is completely normal,” Slot told BBC Sport on Friday.
The manager reflected on the wider tragedy, stating, “At this moment in time, I always think about how it must feel for his wife and his children? It is so, so, so much harder for them than it is for us. But that we will miss the player and the person is completely clear.”
Liverpool’s form has dipped significantly, with four losses in their last five league matches, including a 3-0 defeat to Manchester City before the international break. The team currently sits eighth in the table.
Ahead of the Forest match, Slot recalled Jota’s immediate impact in the same fixture last season. “Now we play Nottingham Forest, last season there we were 1-0 down and it only took him [Jota] one minute to score the equaliser. So now I am talking about the player that we miss for sure,” said Slot. “That we also miss him as a person is also clear.”
In team news, Slot confirmed that goalkeeper Alisson Becker is available for selection again after a six-week absence due to a hamstring injury. However, Conor Bradley and Florian Wirtz will be unavailable for the visit of Forest because of unspecified injuries.
