Liverpool boss Arne Slot names Mohamed Salah replacement as star to miss six games

Liverpool's head coach, Arne Slot, has shed light on the multiple reasons behind the Reds' acquisition of Jeremie Frimpong - one of which is to fill in for Mohamed Salah during the Africa Cup of Nations.

The Merseyside club secured the services of Frimpong for a cool £29million from Bayer Leverkusen, following the exit of right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold. While many speculate that the Dutchman was brought in to compete with Conor Bradley for the full-back position, Slot insists he offers more flexibility.

This versatility will prove crucial when Egyptian ace Salah departs for Morocco to participate in the Africa Cup of Nations, which spans from December 21 to January 18, potentially causing him to miss up to six Premier League matches.

Slot revealed: "We definitely thought about that. We brought in Jeremie Frimpong because we think he can play as a right full-back but I also think and feel he can play as a right-winger.

"I, we, did think about the fact that we're going to miss Mo, I think as a maximum for six games - but that's quite a lot in the Premier League, especially if you see how well he did last season."

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"Signing Jeremie Frimpong was for multiple reasons but one of them was also that he could replace Mo if Mo is not there. There are other options for me to replace Mo with as well - but Jeremie is definitely one of them."

Frimpong is set to take up the right-back position in Sunday's match against Crystal Palace, with Bradley sidelined due to injury. Several of their other summer recruits are also anticipated to feature.

Hugo Ekitike, Florian Wirtz and Milos Kerkez are all set to feature at Wembley. However, Alexander Isak will not be joining them as he remains a Newcastle player despite his transfer request.

Slot kept mum on potential transfers but hinted that Liverpool were still active in the market. He stated: "I think, we think, we already have a lot of attacking power in our team when I think about Cody Gakpo, Federico Chiesa, Hugo Ekitike, Mo Salah, Jeremie Frimpong, who can play as a right-winger, and Florian Wirtz, who can play as a left-winger.

"I already feel I have a lot of attacking options in my current squad. But as always, as a club we are always looking at the chances in the market - but that can also be in the midfield or in the last line."