Liverpool manager Arne Slot has spoken about the deep impact of losing Diogo Jota, saying the team misses him “both on and off the pitch.”
The Portuguese winger tragically passed away in a car accident last summer at the age of 28.
Former Liverpool teammate Andy Robertson revealed he had been “in bits” on Tuesday before Scotland’s dramatic win over Denmark, which secured their spot at the 2026 World Cup.
According to BBC Sport on Friday, Slot said: “I saw the interview [with Robertson] live and I know that it is an issue for us, which is completely normal.
“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 have lost four of their last five Premier League matches, including a 3-0 defeat at Manchester City before the international break.
That loss left the Reds in eighth place, eight points behind league leaders Arsenal, as they prepare to host Nottingham Forest at Anfield on Saturday (15:00 GMT).
Reflecting on last season’s league match away at Forest, Slot noted that Jota had scored 22 seconds after coming on as a substitute in the 1-1 draw.
“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,” Slot said.
“That we also miss him as a person is also clear.”
Slot also confirmed that goalkeeper Alisson Becker is back after six weeks out with a hamstring injury, while Conor Bradley and Florian Wirtz remain unavailable with unspecified injuries for the Forest match.
