Liverpool's New Signing Jeremy Jacquet Still Sidelined with Serious Shoulder Injury
Liverpool have received a concerning fitness update regarding their new signing Jeremy Jacquet, with the defender still sidelined due to a shoulder injury. The Reds secured an agreement during the January transfer window to sign the Rennes centre-back in a deal valued at £60 million, including £5 million in add-ons.
Jacquet is set to formally move to Anfield in the summer following the conclusion of the current campaign. However, the 20-year-old sustained the injury just days after finalising his move to become a Liverpool player, casting a shadow over his transition.
Injury Details and Initial Reports
The injury occurred on February 7 during Rennes' 3-0 loss to Lens in Ligue 1. At the time, the club's former boss Habib Beye described it as "serious" for both Jacquet and teammate Abdelhamid Ait Boudlal. Beye told reporters, "We'll have time to see, but it's definitely quite serious for both of them. For Jeremy, it's his shoulder, and for Abdelhamid it's muscular."
Now, nearly three weeks later, Rennes' new manager Franck Haise has provided an update, confirming that Jacquet will miss his side's upcoming fixture against Toulouse this weekend. Haise stated on Thursday, via L’Equipe, "I don't know exactly yet, he is receiving treatment and rehabilitation, that's where we are at the moment, he's working in the gym."
Uncertainty Over Recovery Timeline
It remains uncertain how long Jacquet will be unavailable with his present injury. There are also questions about whether he will represent Rennes again before departing the club at season's end to join Liverpool. This uncertainty adds a layer of complexity to Liverpool's planning for the upcoming season.
Earlier this month, Liverpool manager Arne Slot expressed his enthusiasm about Jacquet's signing, highlighting the player's talent and the club's strategic model. Slot said, "Very pleasing, of course, because first of all he is a very big talent – and maybe even more than 'only' a talent, but we speak about talent because of his age, of course."
He added, "Second of all because we weren’t the only one interested in him, so another big compliment for the people that are working every single day so hard to sign players, that we were able to sign such a big talent. And [it is] another example of the model we are using at this club: so, young, very talented players, sometimes in the start of their career, sometimes already a little bit a few years into their career, but always players that are young and can improve us and help us for the short, but definitely also for the long term."
Slot concluded by emphasising the club's future prospects, stating, "We have signed a lot of them recently and I’ve said many times that the mid- to long-term, but even the short-term, future of this club is in a very, very, very good place."
As Jacquet continues his rehabilitation, Liverpool fans and management alike will be closely monitoring his progress, hoping for a swift recovery to ensure he can contribute to the team's ambitions upon his arrival at Anfield.
