Liverpool could hand out two debuts this weekend as Arne Slot set to omit first-team player

Arne Slot has suffered the first major injury of his reign after it emerged that Harvey Elliott has fractured his foot. The attacking midfielder now faces around six weeks on the sidelines.

It’s a blow given the fact that the Reds’ schedule becomes markedly busier following the first international break of the season. Slot caveated Liverpool’s perfect start with the fact that they’d only played one match per week. After the 3-0 victory at Manchester United, Slot reminded supporters that the Champions League campaign would soon commence - and the Reds struggled in the 2022-23 season when they were last in Europe’s elite club competition.

Elliott will not be able to be called upon for the foreseeable future. As a result, a berth in Slot’s squad has opened up ahead of Nottingham Forest’s trip to Anfield on Saturday. It could, therefore, be a battle between Curtis Jones and Federico Chiesa for the spot among the substitutes, having both missed the United triumph.

Jones has been out of action for the past two games with an unspecified injury. The midfielder had featured heavily during the pre-season period and told of his enjoyment working under Slot. Jones has a good idea of his new boss’ demands and is capable of playing in several roles in the engine room, which may give him the edge.

But there will understandably be a clamour from supporters for Chiesa to be named in his first match-day squad. Signing from Juventus on the penultimate day of the transfer window, some believe a fee of up to £12.5 million could be a bargain. While he may have been frozen out at the Serie A giants, the Italy international was valued at a reported €100 million three years ago before suffering an ACL injury.

Chiesa watched the United win from the Old Trafford stands as he arrived lacking match fitness. Omitted from the Italy squad during the international break, he’s used the time to build up sharpness. If Slot wants to load up on forwards then that could give him the nod - and it would mean he could indeed make his debut from the bench. There’s no doubt the 26-year-old will have dreams of scoring on his bow - a feat achieved by Mo Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Darwin Nunez in recent times.

There is the option for Jones and Chiesa to both be included in the squad, however, and leave out a defender. Conor Bradley, Joe Gomez, Jarell Quansah and Kostas Tsimikas were substitutes against United and a case can be made that not all four will be needed. Despite Forest’s unbeaten start to the campaign, it’s a game that Liverpool are expected to be triumphant in.

Chiesa isn’t the only summer arrival who could make a first appearance this weekend, though. Rio Ngumoha’s move from Chelsea to join Liverpool’s academy was finally ratified last week after a five-step Premier League investigation. The winger arrives having represented the London outfit’s under-21s aged 15 and trained with the first team at their Cobham base.

Ngumoha has already been training with the under-21s and featured alongside the likes of Jones, Chiesa, Nunez and Gomez earlier this week at the AXA Training Centre. Liverpool under-18s face Blackburn Rovers on Saturday and there is a chance the 16-year-old could be involved.