Curtis Jones is ruled out against Ipswich and considered a doubt for the trips to PSV Eindhoven and Bournemouth, with Arne Slot confirming a new injury.
Jones was forced off at half-time in the 2-1 win over Lille in midweek, though the extent of his issue was unknown at the time.
While the specifics of the midfielder’s injury remain unclear, Slot has now confirmed his No. 17 will be absent for the visit of Ipswich on Saturday at the very least.
As he spoke to journalists in his pre-match press conference on Friday, the head coach also cast doubt on the upcoming clashes with PSV (Jan 29) and Bournemouth (Feb 1).
“He went out during half-time, so that’s usually not a good sign,” he explained.
“And it wasn’t, because he will not be available for the game tomorrow.
“The rest we have to wait and see how long it’s going to take. I’m not expecting months, but let’s see if he’s available for PSV or Bournemouth.”
This latest injury comes at a frustrating point for Jones, who has broken into Slot’s regular rotation of midfielders but remains in competition with Dominik Szoboszlai.
And with Harvey Elliott starting to prove his worth in recent weeks as he lays a claim to the No. 10 role, any absence for Jones could see him lose momentum.
Slot is likely to start with the trio of Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister against Ipswich, though the Dutchman will be conscious of the need for rotation, with Wataru Endo another option along with Elliott.
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