“You won’t be seeing them” - Arne Slot confirms 5 Liverpool players including Mo Salah will not play next game

Liverpool manager Arne Slot opened up on his selection strategy for the side's upcoming Carabao Cup third round clash against Southampton. Speaking ahead of the game, the Dutchman emphasised on the importance of rotating the squad to keep his players in top shape.

He said (via Goal):

“It’s the reason why teams like us and the ones in Europe need a squad like this, you play so many games. It’s not an excuse; we accept it.

"The good thing is I have the option to rotate throughout the week, and the ones that played three times 90 minutes are Virgil [van Dijk], Ibou [Ibrahima Konate], Mo [Mohamed Salah], Ryan [Gravenberch] and Dom [Dominik Szoboszlai]... I can tell you now you won’t be seeing them on Tuesday.”

It has been a hectic run of fixtures for the Merseysiders over the past week, featuring in three games in the span of six days. They had a narrow 1-0 win over Burnley on September 14, before inviting Atletico Madrid to Anfield to open their Champions League campaign with a 3-2 win on September 17. The run was rounded off with a 2-1 win over Everton in the Premier League on September 20.

The likes of Salah, van Dijk, Gravenberch and Szoboszlai have featured heavily in this timeframe and have proved to be invaluable, enabling Liverpool to start with five wins in five games in the league.

The tie against lower-tier Saints gives Slot the option to hand minutes to squad members who have not featured as prominently in recent games. The likes of Giorgi Mamardashvili, Wataru Endo, Giovanni Leoni and Federico Chiesa could all be in line to receive rare starts. Further, the fixture can also be used to provide minutes for record signing Alexander Isak, who continues to gain match fitness after a move late in the window to Anfield.

Real Madrid confident of completing move for Liverpool defender in 2026: Reports

Konate is close to a move to the Bernabeu.

Liverpool centre-back Ibrahima Konate is edging closer to a move to Real Madrid in the upcoming summer. According to Spanish outlet Marca (via Madrid Universal), the Frenchman will run his contract down with the Reds and make the move to Spain.

The report claims that Los Blancos have established initial contact with the defender, who has also turned down offers to extend his stay at Anfield. He has been a key presence in the backline alongside Virgil van Dijk for Liverpool, featuring in all five of their Premier League games this season.

Konate would provide an additional option for Xabi Alonso as Real Madrid look to revamp their squad. Antonio Rudiger and David Alaba are set to be free agents after this season, making centre-back a key position to address for them.