It’s a devastating blow for Liverpool fans and Jeremy Jacquet alike: the young defender’s season is officially over. But here’s where it gets even more complicated—Jacquet, who was set to join Liverpool this summer in a £60 million deal, will undergo surgery to repair a serious shoulder injury, sidelining him for months. This raises questions about his role at Anfield next season and the club’s defensive strategy moving forward.
Jacquet dislocated his shoulder during Rennes’ 3-1 defeat to Lens on February 7. Despite initial hopes of avoiding surgery, the 20-year-old’s condition failed to improve with rehabilitation. And this is the part most people miss—Liverpool allowed Jacquet and Rennes to make the final call on surgery, with the player determined to avoid it. However, the injury proved too severe, and surgery became unavoidable.
For Jacquet, this is a bitter pill to swallow. Having joined Rennes at just 14 and risen through the ranks to become a first-team regular, he had hoped to help his boyhood club secure European football this season. Instead, he’ll now focus on recovery ahead of his summer move to Merseyside.
But here’s the controversial part: Will Jacquet be ready for the start of Liverpool’s pre-season in July? While the standard recovery timeline for shoulder luxation surgery is 4 to 6 months, there’s a chance his rehabilitation could extend into the new season. This uncertainty leaves fans and pundits alike debating his immediate impact at Anfield.
The recovery process is meticulous and phased. Here’s a breakdown:
- Weeks 0-6: Immobilisation. Jacquet’s arm will be in a sling to allow the surgical repair to heal and ligaments to reattach to the bone.
- Weeks 6-12: Range of Motion. The sling comes off, and physical therapy begins to restore flexibility, though contact and heavy lifting remain off-limits.
- Months 3-4: Strength & Conditioning. Focus shifts to rebuilding the rotator cuff, with non-contact training to maintain cardiovascular fitness.
- Months 5-6: Contact & Match Fitness. Full-contact training and controlled falling drills are reintroduced, with a return to competitive play once match sharpness is regained.
Here’s where it gets thought-provoking: With Ibrahima Konate likely to remain Virgil van Dijk’s partner, Jacquet may start as a backup. But could his recovery timeline and Liverpool’s defensive depth chart change this? And what does this mean for Joe Gomez, whose future at the club remains uncertain? These questions will dominate discussions in the coming months.
If this is indeed Jacquet’s last game for Rennes, he leaves having made 33 senior appearances and established himself as a first-choice starter after a successful loan spell with Clermont. But as he transitions to Liverpool, the focus shifts to his recovery and potential role under Arne Slot.
So, here’s the big question: Will Jeremy Jacquet be a starter for Liverpool next season, or will he need time to adapt to the Premier League’s demands? Let us know your thoughts in the comments—do you think Jacquet can break into the starting XI, or will he need a season to settle in? The debate is open!
