Liverpool suffered a double injury blow against Brentford on Saturday afternoon, with Dominik Szoboszlai forced off in the first half before substitute Jeremie Frimpong lasted just six minutes on the pitch.
Szoboszlai had returned to Andoni Iraola’s starting line-up at the Gtech Community Stadium after missing Liverpool’s previous two matches with a hamstring problem.
However, the Hungarian midfielder’s comeback lasted barely half an hour.
He appeared to suffer an injury without contact from an opposition player and was replaced by youngster Trey Nyoni after approximately 31 minutes.
The setback raised immediate concerns about a possible recurrence of the hamstring issue that had kept him out of Liverpool’s recent fixtures.
Frimpong lasts just six minutes
Liverpool’s injury problems worsened shortly after the interval when Jeremie Frimpong was forced off just minutes after entering the action.
The Dutch international had been introduced at half-time but lasted only around six minutes before Liverpool were forced into another change.
Rio Ngumoha came on to replace Frimpong, leaving Iraola having to make another unexpected adjustment to his side.
The circumstances of Frimpong’s withdrawal were particularly frustrating given that he had only just been introduced and had barely had an opportunity to influence the game.
Questions over Liverpool's fitness problems
Szoboszlai had been one of three Liverpool players facing late fitness assessments ahead of the trip to Brentford, alongside Alexander Isak and Cody Gakpo.
Both Szoboszlai and Isak were named in the starting XI, while Gakpo was included among the substitutes.
The decision to start Szoboszlai will inevitably attract scrutiny following his early withdrawal, although there is currently no evidence that Liverpool’s medical staff took an unnecessary risk.
His latest setback raises the possibility that he has aggravated the same hamstring injury, but that has yet to be confirmed.
Meanwhile, the nature and severity of Frimpong’s problem remain unclear.
Liverpool await injury updates
The double setback adds to Liverpool’s existing injury concerns, with Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni and Hugo Ekitiké already unavailable.
Iraola will now be hoping that neither Szoboszlai nor Frimpong faces an extended spell on the sidelines.
Both players will require further assessment before Liverpool can establish the extent of their respective problems.
The Liverpool head coach is likely to face questions about both incidents following the match, particularly the decision to start Szoboszlai so soon after his previous injury.
For now, Liverpool face an anxious wait for news on two more players after a difficult afternoon at Brentford.
szoboszlai-and-frimpong-forced-off-against-brentford
