Liverpool midfielder McAllister did not participate in full training due to injury problems and subsequently missed the game against Newcastle. Slote said that it is always risky to let players who have withdrawn from training play, but he hopes McAllister can fully recover and play in the next round of games.

In the second round of the 2025/26 Premier League, Liverpool took the lead in the first half through goals from Gravenberch and Ekitik, but conceded two goals in the second half to tie the game. However, 16-year-old Ngumoha scored at a crucial moment, and Liverpool ultimately defeated Newcastle 3-2 away, securing all three points.

Speaking about McAllister's status, Liverpool manager Slaughter said, "We really hope McAllister can play. He had to leave the training ground early two days ago. If he completed a full pre-season preparation, this would not be a big problem, but he has been absent for several weeks."

"There have to be reasons why players choose to end training early because they may be feeling something and that's the difficult balance players who have been out for a long time in pre-season need to find."

Sloter continued, "The preseason is the foundation of the entire season. Everyone can see the intensity of this kind of game, just like what we experienced last week, and I think the intensity of this game is 10 times that of last week."

Furthermore, after two consecutive wins, Liverpool is currently in third place in the standings with 6 points. In the next round of the Premier League, Liverpool will face a strong opponent Arsenal at the Allianz Arena.

Sloter also said: "In such a situation, the players must maintain a very high level of physical condition. If a player who has not been well prepared in the pre-season and has withdrawn from training two days ago is allowed to play in such a game, it will be accompanied by risks."

"Given the length of the season, the risk is too great for me. But I hope that in the next day or two things will improve so that he can play in the next game."