Liverpool fears losing its defensive star before Manchester City clash

The 21‑year‑old French international Jérémy Jacquet, who in the autumn after a strong start at FC Liverpool was already praised by Zinédine Zidane as “very good”, has to miss out due to a strain of the left thigh muscle – only a few days before the scheduled comeback match against league leaders Manchester City on Sunday.

Jacquet’s Rise at Liverpool

After having only sat on the bench against Turkey at first, Jacquet started from the beginning against Belgium and Italy. In both games he displayed performances that his revered national coach Zinédine Zidane described in one sentence four times as “very good”.

The French had expected that Jacquet would again be in France’s starting eleven in the Monday duel against Belgium, but he didn’t even make the squad.

The French Football Federation then confirmed a muscle injury of the Liverpool defender and described the problem as a “strain of the left thigh muscle”. Zidane dismissed his centre‑back’s absence as a “small blow”.

Jacquet’s young career has so far only been affected by minor muscle injuries. He once complained about a calf problem and had to miss two games in mid‑2025 due to a slight injury. Before moving to Liverpool he suffered a serious shoulder injury that ended his career at Stade Rennes, and after signing his pre‑contract he underwent a four‑month operation.

Andoni Iraola, the Reds’ coach, wants to introduce the young defender gently into the high‑energy playing system. “In the first games he felt the change of rhythm physically. He ended up with cramps and was really tired, so we had to substitute him,” Iraola explained last month.

Ahead of the highly anticipated comeback match against Manchester City, Liverpool now have to manage without Jacquet. Coach Iraola must reorganise the defence around Virgil van Dijk and possibly cope with the attack without the young centre‑back.

The contrast between Jacquet’s rapid rise and the current injury highlights how quickly sporting successes can be jeopardised by unforeseen setbacks.