Diogo Jota and unwanted 69-game truth that could decide Liverpool career after official statement

Diogo Jota has endured a frustrating Euro 2024 so far, despite overcoming injury to compete in this summer’s European Championships.

The Portuguese didn’t feature in Liverpool’s last five games of the season after aggravating an injury when scoring in the Reds’ 3-1 victory away at Fulham in April. He would return to be an unused substitute for the final game of the season though, at home to Wolverhampton Wanderers, and was subsequently included in Roberto Martinez’s Portugal squad.

The 27-year-old featured in all three of his nation’s warm-up games, completing 45 minutes in each as he started against Finland and was introduced at half-time against both Croatia and the Republic of Ireland. Meanwhile, he’d score against both the Finns and the Croats, before registering an assist against the Irish to come into the tournament in good form.

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However, it has been more frustrating for Jota since the tournament got underway in Germany. Utilised as a substitute, he had a goal disallowed in Portugal’s opening 2-1 win over Czechia before being left unused in their 3-0 dismantling of Turkey.

And while they have nothing to play for in their final group game against Georgia, having already secured their place in the knockout stages as group winners, Jota’s involvement in their next match on Wednesday is at risk.

He did not take part in team training on Monday, and instead worked alone with one of Portugal’s physical trainers. The Portuguese Football Federation reported he was one of three players doing ‘specific work’, with CNN claiming his absence was due to ‘muscle fatigue’.

It was pointed out to the Portuguese earlier this month that he has not completed 90 minutes of football since February, though Jota insisted he felt fit and ready to make an impact at Euro 2024.

“It’s a statistic, I didn’t realise that, but I know I’ve worked hard since my last injury to be in the best physical shape,” he said, as quoted by Mais Futebol. “Even so, competition is something you don’t get from training, but I feel capable of playing a game.

“I can’t guarantee that it will be 90 or even 120 minutes, but I feel good enough to play and that’s the most important thing for me.

“It’s a fact. I haven’t always been there physically, but it’s important to note that I’ve worked hard to be here and to be well. I’ve made good progress in my preparation games. You can count on me, as I’ve shown, no matter what.”

Jota’s determination to make an impact at Euro 2024 is understandable, given the 27-year-old missed out on representing his country at the 2022 World Cup after suffering a serious calf injury.

And while there is no suggestion that his team training absence is anything serious, it is still another reminder of the injury woes that have plagued the forward since he joined Liverpool from Wolverhampton Wanderers in September 2020.

Suffering a knee injury against FC Midtjylland in December 2020, he would be sidelined for three months as he sat out 18 matches before making a return in early-March. He’d later sit out two further matches with a foot injury before returning as a substitute on the final day of the season.

His fortunes improved in 2021/22 as he missed only two games because of an ankle injury after being withdrawn at half-time in the 2-0 victory away at Inter Milan in February 2022. While he’d return in time to be utilised as a substitute in the League Cup final win over Chelsea later that month, he struggled to replicate his previous form during the final months of the campaign.

The 2022/23 season proved to be particularly frustrating for Jota as he suffered a hamstring injury while away with Portugal in the close-season, before aggravating it in pre-season to ensure he missed the start of the campaign. Sitting out six matches, he’d make his return off the bench against Everton at the start of September.

However, he’d manage just eight appearances before suffering the aforementioned calf injury that ruled him out of the World Cup in a 1-0 victory over Man City in October. Jota would be sidelined for the next four months, missing 18 matches before returning in the return Merseyside derby at Anfield as Liverpool ran out 2-0 winners in mid-February.

While he would stay free of injury for the rest of the campaign, he was plagued once again last season. Suffering a hamstring injury against Man City in November, a month-long lay-off saw him miss eight matches before scoring in his return off the bench against Burnley on Boxing Day.

He’d then suffer a knee injury against Brentford just two months later, which would rule him out for a further two months and 11 matches before making a comeback as a substitute against Atalanta in mid-April. Yet he’d manage only four more appearances before a hip issue essentially sidelined him for the rest of the campaign as he sat out an additional four matches.

Consequently, he was ruled out for 23 of Liverpool’s 58 games in the 2023/24 season, following on from the 24 matches out of 52 he missed in 2022/23. Sitting out 47 Reds games out of 110 because of injury over the past two seasons, he has been unavailable for 43% of their matches during this time as a result.

Meanwhile, he has missed 69 games because of injury during his entire Liverpool career to date, with the Reds playing 223 matches in total since he joined the club.

Still returning a respectable 56 goals and 19 assists from 145 matches, you can’t help but wonder how much more impressive his record would look if not for injury.

Liverpool have had to grow accustomed to not being able to rely on the Portuguese to be available, with his presence when fit an additional bonus. He is a luxury the Reds continue to carry as a result.

With Arne Slot and a new backroom team, including incoming first team lead physical performance coach Ruben Peeters, now through the door at Anfield, Jota’s injury woes will be something they would be wise to try and resolve if possible.

Of course it’s a frustration for the forward, and one he admittedly has little control over and would no doubt love not to deal with, but it’s a frustration for the club too. It's brutal but there can be no room for sentimentality, having been stung by injuries across their squad far too often during the Jurgen Klopp era.

If such issues can’t successfully be addressed, Liverpool will at some point face a difficult decision regarding Jota’s Reds future. For now it’s a quandary the club can continue to avoid in hope of unearthing a solution, but something has to change.