Liverpool manager Arne Slot has revealed defender Joe Gomez is not close to a return from his hamstring injury.

Gomez limped out of the 5-0 win over West Ham United on December 29 and was initially expected to miss “a few weeks”, prompting questions about a possible return in Tuesday’s meeting with surprise package Nottingham Forest.

Asked how far away Gomez is from a comeback, a disappointed Slot confirmed: “Quite far. He is definitely not with the team yet and Darwin [Nunez] is suspended. They are the ones we’ll miss tomorrow.”

Forest are the only side to have beaten Liverpool so far in the Premier League this season, and Slot vowed not to take Nuno Espirito Santo’s side lightly in search of revenge.

“They showed in retrospect what a good team they are,” Slot reflected on the defeat. “In general, when Liverpool loses a home game… in that moment Virgil [van Dijk] played 100 home games and only lost once.

“For me, to lose on that day was hard to take. Looking back at it and where they are in the league, maybe it’s not as big of a shock. They had a good game plan and brought the winger in that did so well.

“I always said you can judge the table best halfway through the season and that moment is here now. If Forest is up there with us, with Arsenal, Chelsea, [Manchester] City and all the others, then they definitely are a team that is in competition with us and with the other teams.

“They deserve to be treated like this if you look at the way they play, if you look at their performances and results. It is going to be a very difficult challenge tomorrow to get a result.”

READ THE LATEST LIVERPOOL NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP