Arne Slot has said the “last thing” Liverpool need this season is another injury after midfielder Wataru Endo was stretchered off against Sunderland.

Endo — who was already having to fill in for injured players at right-back in midweek — is now expected to be sidelined for “a long time” with a foot problem. His injury is another blow for Slot’s side, which is now extremely stretched ahead of this weekend’s FA Cup fourth round clash against Brighton & Hove Albion.

“The load management is important because the last thing we could use right now is another injury,” Slot said.

“That is always the difficult balance for the manager, including his medical staff, what is the best decision to make every single time. It is also true that a player could get injured if he has to play three games in seven days. But it also happened many times that a player could play three games in seven days.

“So that’s the challenge we are having, but the most important thing is we have to train today, see how the players are doing, listen to how they feel and then make the best possible decision.”

Liverpool beat League One side Barnsley to reach the fourth round of the FA Cup and Slot acknowledged his team need to ensure the small margins work in their favour if they want to progress to the next round of the competition.

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“Margins have been so small for us this season,” he said. “Every single time the other team has a bit of a sniff in the game, all of a sudden they score. [Whereas] we need to put so much in it before we are able to score.

“I didn’t see that much difference in the last 20 minutes [of Wednesday’s 1-0 win at Sunderland] as I saw against City [in Sunday’s 2-1 defeat]. The difference was that the first time they arrived after us scoring it was a goal. Before that we were challenging them in their box to score the second. So the margins are really small.”

Manchester City, Chelsea and Bayern Munich are tracking Brenford striker Igor Thiago, while Manchester United look to move on goalkeeper André Onana.

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TRENDING RUMORS

– Manchester City remain determined to sign striker Igor Thiago despite the forward’s recent decision to sign a new contract at Brentford, according to TeamTalk. Chelsea and Bayern Munich are also thought to be monitoring Thiago’s development during a remarkable breakout season that has seen him score 18 goals in 27 appearances in all competitions. The 24-year-old, who joined Brentford in 2024 from Club Brugge, is under contract in West London until June 2031.

– Manchester United will attempt to secure a permanent exit for goalkeeper André Onana this summer, The Sun reports. The Cameroon goalkeeper is on loan at Trabzonspor, where he has played 17 times to date in the league, registering four clean sheets. However, it remains to be seen whether the Turkish side would be interested in signing him permanently at the end of his loan spell.

– Liverpool are among the sides interested in signing RB Leipzig winger Yan Diomande, Christian Falk has revealed. RBL are expected to demand a transfer fee of around €100 million this summer, an amount which fellow German club Bayern Munich are unwilling to pay. As such, a move to the Premier League could become a concrete possibility, with Manchester United and Manchester City also tracking his development. Diomande, 19, is under contract at Leipzig until 2030.

– Arsenal, Chelsea and Tottenham Hotspur have all been informed that Real Madrid forward Endrick will not be available this summer, TeamTalk reports.The Brazil international is on loan at French side Lyon, but is expected to return to the Spanish capital at the end of the season.

– Barcelona are keen to try and lower Manchester United‘s valuation of Marcus Rashford, according to the Express. The forward, who is on loan at the Catalan giants from United, has impressed in Spain this season, with the club eager to make his move permanent in the summer. However, that would involve triggering a £26 million option in Rashford’s contract, a fee the Barça hierarchy feels is too high. Rashford, 28, is said to be “determined to stay” at the club after registering 12 goal involvements in 21 La Liga games this season.

DONE DEALS

OTHER RUMORS

– Charlton Athletic are in talks with former West Ham United forward Michail Antonio. The Jamaica international has not played club football since a car crash in December 2024. (Sky Sports)

– Manchester United have held talks with Manchester City’s 16-year-old prospect Kasen Brown. The defender is set to depart the Etihad at the end of the season. (Football Insider)

– Bournemouth will try to tie Eli Junior Kroupi down to a long-term contract amid interest from the likes of Liverpool and Arsenal. (TeamTalk)

– Borussia Dortmund have set an asking price of £35 million for wing-back Julian Ryerson. (Ekrem Konur)

– Several top Premier League and Serie A sides are monitoring Brentford’s Kevin Schade for the summer transfer window. (Nicolo Schira)

– The Philadelphia Union are closing in on a deal to sign left-back Philippe Ndinga from Degerfors. (Tom Bogert)

– Clubs from Colombia, the MLS and Europe are monitoring Atlético Nacional youngster Fabio Martínez. (Rudy Galetti)

Pakistan’s experienced batter Babar Azam has urged his teammates to remain calm and focused amid the high expectations ahead of the T20 World Cup match against India, scheduled for Sunday in Colombo.

“Matches between Pakistan and India are always intense. It’s not just the people of both countries, but the whole world watches this game, which takes it to a completely different level and raises expectations from the players,” Babar said in a video statement.

He added, “I have been part of many such matches and have learned that the more composed you remain, and the more you focus on the game instead of external noise, the better you will perform.”

Babar acknowledged the excitement surrounding the fixture but emphasised that players benefit from staying tension-free.

“There is always a lot of energy in this match, but the more relaxed the players are, the better it is for them,” he said.

Rain to play spoilsport
Meanwhile, the Sri Lanka Meteorological Department has predicted rainfall in Colombo on match day, adding a weather variable to the contest.

Cricket fans, however, remain hopeful for an exciting game on Sunday.