Florian Wirtz's wordless message sees Liverpool playmaker drop selection hint after injury
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Liverpool Echo IconSportFootballFlorian WirtzFlorian Wirtz picked up a back injury in the warm-up of Sunday's 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest - but could he return this weekend?Florian Wirtz has dropped a selection hint for Liverpool's visit from West Ham United this weekend as he aims to get back to fitness after a minor back injury.The Germany international, who joined from Bayer Leverkusen in a £116m deal in June last year, had been named on the team sheet to face Nottingham Forest on Sunday afternoon at the City Ground but hurt himself warming up and was replaced by Curtis Jones.As a result, Wirtz was not fit enough to take a place on the bench, with head coach Arne Slot later confirming it was not a risk worth taking for a player who has been in form in recent weeks.READ MORE: Liverpool goalkeeper set for surgery after season-ending injury as manager gives updateREAD MORE: Inside story on Rio Ngumoha as Liverpool rising star gives first interviewThe No.7 sat out Monday's recovery session at the AXA Training Centre but took to Instagram to suggest he is on the mend ahead of the game against Nuno Espirito Santo's men this weekend.Wirtz uploaded a selfie to his social media account from a sauna, posting the picture with battery charge and handshake emojis to offer a clue about his recovery process.Speaking after the game on Sunday, Slot said: "We don’t think it is very serious."He felt his back too much during the warm-up to start. He wasn’t able to be 100% or close to 100%.“I think after being in this league for six, seven or eight months that no matter how good you are on the ball, you need to be 100% at this level."So we decided not to play him but hope and expect him to be with us next week.”Slot will be in place to provide a fitness update on Wirtz when he previews Saturday's game with the media later this week.Wirtz was recently awarded Liverpool's player of month award for January, with the playmaker registering five of his six goals for the Reds during the first month of 2026.Ensure our latest sport headlines always appear at the top of your Google Search by making us a Preferred Source.
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