Slot sees Nyoni bonus after Jones withdrawal

Liverpool manager Arne Slot has played down concerns around midfielder Curtis Jones’ fitness and praised his young replacement Trey Nyoni.

Jones went down the tunnel in the 30th minute with a muscle injury during Liverpool’s 1-0 win against Real Betis in Pittsburgh, United States.

When asked about whether Jones going off potentially marred his first match in charge, Slot said: “I think it’s too early to tell [how bad it is]. He maybe could have played on, but I think maybe you could see he was not at 100 per cent.

“In a friendly game, with so many days coming up in our tour, it was best to take him off. Hopefully he can recover from [it] really fast, but we have to wait and see.”

Nyoni, 17, replaced Jones having made one previous appearance for the Anfield club.

Slot added: “That was the positive thing of Curtis going out for Trey, but of course for Curtis it’s a pity that he couldn’t play on.

“Trey did well, he was involved in the goal with a spot on pass between the lines and he was involved in our biggest chance in the second half.

“But he’s only just turned 17 and his body still has to grow. We are really careful with him. He doesn’t join every session. You can see his quality. He needs some time to grow to play at Premier League level but he’s an interesting player.”

Liverpool next face Arsenal in Philadelphia and then take on Manchester United in Columbia.