Jeremy Jacquet Observes Liverpool's New Era Amid Injury Setback

Jeremy Jacquet should have been playing his way towards a big-money Premier League move this spring. Instead, the 20-year-old defender spent it in a swimming pool, a gym – and, crucially, in the stands at one of the most intense nights of Liverpool’s season.

The Rennes centre-back, who will join Liverpool ahead of the 2026/27 campaign in a £60 million deal, has been sidelined since undergoing shoulder surgery in early March. The injury has ruled him out for the rest of the season, but it has not kept him away from his future club.

Jacquet confirmed on social media that he was at the Parc des Princes for Liverpool’s Champions League quarter-final first leg against Paris Saint-Germain, watching Arne Slot’s side dominate large spells but leave with only a 2-0 defeat to show for it. Not the result he would have wanted to see, but a clear look at the standards he’ll be expected to meet.

His post, a snapshot of a frustrating but focused few weeks, showed clips of his rehabilitation work in the pool and gym, along with a picture of him in Liverpool’s 2022/23 away kit. Even from a distance, he is already easing himself into the colours he will soon be wearing for real.

The setback itself arrived at a brutal time. On February 7, Jacquet was forced off against Lens with a left shoulder injury, just days after Liverpool had announced his future move. By March 3, Rennes confirmed he would undergo surgery, wishing him a speedy recovery and effectively drawing a line through the rest of his season.

The operation went ahead in early March. Since then, the calendar has become his opponent. Depending on how quickly he recovers, the opening months of his Liverpool career could be carefully managed rather than explosive.

Slot will have to weigh that up. Defensive questions were already circling even before Jacquet’s deal was agreed, with Ibrahima Konaté’s contract initially set to expire this summer. Reports now suggest an extension for the 26-year-old is close, despite a difficult eight-month spell, which would at least give Liverpool some continuity at the back.

Stability in defence might be needed more than ever. Mohamed Salah and Andy Robertson, two modern Liverpool greats, have already had their end-of-season exits confirmed. Those are not just squad changes; they are emotional fault lines in a dressing room that has lived off their influence for years.

Out of that, a new Liverpool is being built. Jacquet is part of a fresh wave that already includes Florian Wirtz, Alexander Isak, Milos Kerkez, Jeremie Frimpong and Hugo Ekitike, all added last summer as the club began to redraw its future spine. More arrivals are expected once the window opens again.

For now, though, the club’s gaze is locked on Tuesday night and the second leg against PSG at Anfield. Liverpool trail by two, but they arrive with renewed confidence after a 2-0 Premier League win over Fulham on Saturday, a result that also preserved their status as champions of England.

Rio Ngumoha and Salah scored the goals at Craven Cottage, yet both remained unused substitutes in Paris. That gives Slot a genuine selection dilemma for the return leg. Does he unleash them from the start, or lean on the players who have already done the hard running in France?

Curtis Jones and Cody Gakpo have also forced their way into the conversation with strong displays, adding to the competition in attacking areas. Liverpool will need every one of them sharp, aggressive and ruthless if they are to overturn the deficit and keep their grip on the European crown.

Somewhere in the stands, or perhaps watching from a treatment room, Jacquet will be studying it all. The tempo. The expectation. The demand to deliver on nights when there is no margin for error.

His time in a Liverpool shirt is still a season away. The club he is joining may look very different by then. But the message from these weeks is already clear: when his shoulder heals, he will be walking into a team that refuses to stand still.