The injury update from international duty

Jeremy Jacquet has picked up a knock on France duty, with ESPN journalist Julien Laurens reporting on X that the 21-year-old has been dropped to the bench for France's Nations League fixture against Belgium. Manchester United's Leny Yoro steps in to take his place in Zinedine Zidane's starting eleven, earning his first senior cap for Les Bleus alongside Maxence Lacroix at centre-back.

Further detail emerged from Fabrice Hawkins, who reported that Jacquet has felt a strain in his left hamstring. The indication from France's camp is that the decision to keep him out of the starting lineup is precautionary rather than alarming, they are protecting him rather than ruling him out entirely. That distinction matters, but it won't stop Liverpool supporters casting a nervous eye toward the fixture list.

Why this matters for Liverpool

Liverpool face Manchester City on Sunday, and the timing of this update is about as welcome as a wet Tuesday at the training ground. Jacquet has been one of the more impressive additions to this Liverpool side, slotting in alongside Virgil van Dijk with real composure. His consistency has been striking, according to FotMob, he hasn't dipped below a 7/10 rating across his last nine appearances for club and country.

The arrival of Jacquet and Ronald Araujo on loan from Barcelona has given the backline a solidity it was clearly lacking earlier in the season. Those two signings have allowed the defence to function with genuine structure, and the partnership is still relatively new. Losing Jacquet for any significant stretch would force Andoni Iraola into a rethink, most likely pulling Araujo back into a central role and leaving space down the right flank, the very area Jeremie Frimpong would relish exploiting.

The bigger picture for Iraola's squad

This situation also shines a light on how thin Liverpool's defensive resources are. The club's recruitment focus this season has been weighted heavily toward the forward line, which leaves the Basque head coach with very little cover if key defenders are unavailable. One injury in the backline and the whole shape of the side has to shift, that's not a comfortable position to be in when a match against Manchester City is looming on the horizon.

For now, the hope is that the precautionary call made by the France camp proves to be exactly that, and Jacquet returns to Merseyside without any aggravation to that hamstring. Liverpool will be monitoring the situation closely in the coming days, and the next update from the international break cannot come quickly enough.