Liverpool star Florian Wirtz injured in warm-up vs. Nottingham Forest

Nottingham, England — Liverpool’s preparations for Sunday’s Premier League meeting with Nottingham Forest were jolted when record signing Florian Wirtz was forced to withdraw during the pre-match warm-up after feeling a problem that coaching staff quickly decided made him unavailable.

The 22-year-old German playmaker, who has scored five of his six Liverpool goals since the calendar flipped to 2025, was seen in conversation with physios on the City Ground pitch before turning back down the tunnel. Curtis Jones was promoted from the bench to take Wirtz’s place in the starting XI.

Sky Sports pundit and former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher underlined the significance of the late change moments before kick-off: “It’s a big blow. He’s been the one knitting everything together.”

Despite the disruption, Arne Slot’s side adapted well enough to claim a 1-0 victory, Alexis Mac Allister striking late to secure three points that keep the champions firmly in the title race.

Post-match, Slot moved to ease fears over Wirtz’s fitness. “He wasn’t able to be 100 percent or even close to 100 percent,” the head coach explained. “I think after being in this league for six, seven or eight months, he now understands no matter how good you are on the ball, you need to be 100 percent at this level. So we decided not to play him. We hope and expect he will be able to be with us again next week, but you never know how things work out.”

The club has not specified the exact nature of the complaint, and Wirtz will continue to be assessed ahead of upcoming fixtures.