Arne Slot says Trent Alexander-Arnold is facing a race against time to be fit for next week's Merseyside derby with Everton and warned the Liverpool vice-captain won't be risked if he is not at 100% for the Goodison Park fixture.

Alexander-Arnold was withdrawn in the second half of last week's 2-0 win at Bournemouth with a thigh injury and while scans on Tuesday confirmed hopes that the issue was not a long-term one, the right-back sat out Thursday night's Carabao Cup semi-final victory over Tottenham at Anfield with Conor Bradley deputising.

The West Derby-born defender will continue his recovery on Sunday when the Reds make the near 600-mile round trip to Plymouth Argyle for the fourth round of the FA Cup and Slot says a judgement call will be made ahead of the last derby at Goodison Park against a rejuvenated Blues side under David Moyes.

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"Trent for Sunday? I don't think so yet, no, it's going to be too early for him," Slot said. "Derby? We don't play Derby County! (laughs). Oh, the [Merseyside] derby? Difficult to say for that.

"It's not going to take months or even weeks but that (derby game) will be only three days after the Plymouth Argyle game, so let's wait and see if he is available.

"We also have to look at the long term, of course, we don't want to take any risks with so many games coming up afterwards, but if he is fit then of course we will use him.

"You come up with different way of asking this question! (about Alexander-Arnold's future). I think it's fair to say that for many positions we have two very good players. So that is for the right full-back position, the left-back position, we have more than two good centre-backs and I can go through the whole team telling you this.

"So it's normal when you work at a club for this magnitude and that wants to compete for every trophy, that you have more than 11 good players. Right full-back is definitely an example of that.

"[A fully-fit squad] is something you want, if you have to play so many games and the importance of the games only grow and grow, you want to have as many players available as you can.

"I have to give big compliments not only to the performance staff but also the players, because they put a lot, a lot of effort in to stay as fit as they are. It is not only what they do on the training ground or what they do in the game.

"If you look at how professional they are before and after sessions, it is no surprise they stay as fit as they are at the moment."

Slot also revealed that Tyler Morton will miss the trip to the Championship strugglers this weekend, predicting that a shoulder injury will keep the midfielder sidelined for around a month.

On the prospect of James McConnell filling in for an injured Morton in the coming weeks, Slot added: "You the watched PSV game as well and that is what you see.

"What I saw was him on the training pitches, competing with the other midfielders, I see a player that is competing with them. He always gives everything he has.

"And Tyler Morton is out with an injury for a while, so that means he was maybe our sixth midfielder and James is taking that position now for the upcoming weeks.

"So it's a combination of both, McConnell doing really well and the injury to Morton. It's his shoulder, a shoulder injury. Four weeks or maybe even longer."