Jeremie Frimpong was left at home by Ronald Koeman for the Netherlands' World Cup match against Japan on Sunday night in Dallas. The omission came after a first season at Liverpool blighted by muscle injuries, leaving one of the club's summer arrivals out while Ryan Gravenberch, Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo were involved.
127 days lost
Frimpong spent 127 days injured last season. Before that, he had missed only 65 days across his entire career, so the change in his availability was abrupt rather than gradual.
He arrived at Liverpool with a pristine injury record, but that disappeared quickly. A setback on his debut ruled him out for a month, then a second muscle complaint in October lasted just 19 minutes against Eintracht Frankfurt in Germany and kept him on the shelf until shortly before Christmas.
Qarabag setback
Another injury followed after only four minutes in the 6-0 Champions League win over Qarabag, with Wataru Endo replacing him. A few weeks later, Endo's season ended with a serious ankle injury.
Frimpong was often asked to play out of position across a difficult first year at Anfield. Jaap Stam said, "I think Liverpool fans can expect more from Jeremie Frimpong" and added, "The most important thing for him is to stay fit throughout the whole season, which is crucial for every player."
Oranje selection pressure
Stam also said, "Jeremie is a great player, he has so much pace." He added, "He needs to learn, and he needs to read the game a little bit better at times, but he's a great player, and I think you can expect a lot more from him next season."
That is the bracket Frimpong now sits in: a player with top-end pace, a £29m move from Bayer Leverkusen, and a season cut up by repeated muscle problems. On Sunday night, Ronald Koeman picked Ryan Gravenberch, Virgil van Dijk and Cody Gakpo for the 2-2 draw with Japan, while Frimpong stayed out of the match altogether.
