Liverpool are playing with fire as Arne Slot narrowly avoids new injury crisis

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Liverpool have a number of defensive injury doubts ahead of Sunday's clash with Manchester United, and Arne Slot cannot afford another setback after three successive defeatsLiverpool’s injury list has quietly started to grow in recent weeks, with the international break at first glance doing little to aid the total number of walking wounded. The Reds headed into the October break with Alisson Becker and Giovanni Leoni already confirmed as long-term absentees.The Brazilian suffered a hamstring injury against Galatasaray and is expected to be out until the November international break, while the Italian has been ruled out for the season after suffering a season-ending ACL injury on his debut against Southampton.While losing Alisson is always a hefty blow for Liverpool, the Reds at least boast a quality deputy in Giorgi Mamardashvili.READ MORE: Liverpool striker faces months on sidelines after fresh injury setback confirmedREAD MORE: FSG Liverpool impact clear after £300m agreement as four-word promise made in statementConsequently, it was the loss of Leoni that perhaps prompted more concern among the Liverpool fanbase.

After all, the Reds have been stung by a shortage of options at centre-back before.Having sold Jarell Quansah to Bayer Leverkusen in the summer and seen a deadline day move for Marc Guehi blocked by Crystal Palace at the 11th hour, Leoni’s injury left Arne Slot down to three available senior centre-backs - Virgil van Dijk, Ibrahima Konate and Joe Gomez.Given Konate and Gomez’s chequered injury records, Liverpool already find themselves inadvertently playing with fire - and that’s without also considering the Frenchman’s poor start to the season and the fact that both players face uncertain futures at Anfield.With Konate then withdrawn in the Reds’ last outing away at Chelsea because of a quad injury, it has been an anxious international break for Liverpool.The centre-back did report for duty with France despite the issue and took part in parts of team training while also working on his own individual programme.But after being an unused substitute for their victory over Azerbaijan last week, he was released early from the camp after it was concluded that he would not be fit enough to face Iceland on Monday night.A statement released by the France national team on Saturday read: “Injured in the right quadriceps during his last match with Liverpool, Ibrahima Konate has followed a treatment and protocol since his arrival this Monday but will not be able to take his place against Iceland.”Liverpool will now ascertain Konate's fitness on his return to the AXA Training Centre, with Gomez on standby to replace the Frenchman if he is not fit to face Manchester United on Sunday.While Slot could find himself down to two senior centre-backs as a result, he has already insisted he has enough depth when initially responding to the Reds missing out on Guehi.“Ryan (Gravenberch) and Wata (Endo) that can play there so it is not like all of a sudden we don’t have options in that position anymore,” Slot told reporters back in September.Meanwhile, Andy Robertson is also an option and has been used at the heart of defence by the Dutchman in the past.So there has been a somewhat cruel sense of irony regarding the fact that all three, along with Konate, have been injury concerns at one point or another during the October international break.Wataru Endo withdrew from the Japan squad because of a hamstring injury, while Robertson was seen limping after the final whistle of Liverpool’s loss to Chelsea.And Ryan Gravenberch was withdrawn at half-time of Netherlands’ 4-0 win over Finland on Sunday, with it later emerging that he too had suffered an issue with his hamstring.At first first glance, Slot is down to the bare bones at centre-back as a result. But as the October international break draws to a close, any such fears have been allayed somewhat significantly.For starters, Robertson shook off his own injury concerns to play the majority of both of Scotland’s World Cup qualifiers against Greece and Belarus.Withdrawn in stoppage-time in the former as Scotland recorded a 3-1 victory, he then set up their late winner as he completed the full match as they ran out 2-1 victors in the latter.As a result, he looks set to be fit to feature against Manchester United on Sunday - and is even pushing for a recall in his natural left-back position at the expense of the out-of-form Milos Kerkez.While Robertson looks set to be available, Endo and Gravenberch both remain minor doubts.

“Asking him to come from Europe again would be a burden for him, so I thought that the current number (in the squad) would be enough."Gravenberch would also play down his own injury concerns after coming off against Finland, with both the midfielder and manager Ronald Koeman offering an update following the final whistle."Ryan indicated he had some minor hamstring problems,” the former Everton boss revealed. I’m feeling good and I have the coach’s confidence.”While it remains to be seen if either Endo or Gravenberch recover in time to face Manchester United on Sunday, with Slot set to hold his own pre-match press conference at the back-end of the week, both admissions would suggest that neither are set to be absent for long.Injury let-offs galore for Liverpool then, ahead of the return of club football.