Diogo Jota could soon be in contention to start again for Liverpool, though Arne Slot has warned the striker that “he is in competition with some special players.”
Jota has come off the bench in each of the last four games, having spent almost two months out with a rib injury, but is yet to be considered for a starting place.
Instead, Slot has used both Darwin Nunez and Luis Diaz up front, with the Portuguese playing just 72 minutes as a substitute since his return.
He is, however, nearing a return to full availability, with Slot explaining the situation in his pre-West Ham press conference on Thursday.
“We’re still managing his fitness,” he told reporters.
“He’s been out for quite a long time and he couldn’t train that much. So sometimes if a player has an injury they can do a lot, but he couldn’t do a lot for quite a long time.
“Since this league is so intense, it’s not so easy if you’re almost two months out to come in and play from the start again.
“You need to have some minutes to build this up – and he is in competition with some other special players as well who are at this moment also on top of their game.
“He’s gradually building it up. I think he comes close to starting a game, but like I said he has competition in his position as well.”
It is unlikely he will start against West Ham on Sunday, with it possible that Slot restores Diaz to the No. 9 role with Cody Gakpo and Mohamed Salah in supreme form out wide.
Jota will surely get a start either of the upcoming two cup games early next month; against Spurs in the Carabao Cup and against Accrington Stanley in the FA Cup.
Two players who remain absent heading into the weekend are Ibrahima Konate and Conor Bradley, though the head coach has not ruled out their return against Man United on January 5.
“They will not be back for West Ham, but then there’s a week in between, so let’s see how close they are then,” Slot said.
“It’s difficult for me to tell you at this moment, because they don’t train with the group yet.
“But hopefully in the upcoming days they come closer to that situation.
“Ibou has been out for five, six weeks maybe, Conor just as long, and also for them they are in competition with players who are completely fit and are doing really well.
“I have to make the right judgement the moment they are back with the team.”
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