Liverpool have been dealing with a number of injury issues over the last few weeks and now a new update has emerged on another doubt as the Reds prepare to kick off their Champions League campaign this week.
What’s the latest?
Jurgen Klopp took to his post-match press conference to deliver some bad news on midfielder Fabio Carvalho’s condition after being subbed off at halftime for Roberto Firmino.
Klopp told the press (via Liverpool Offside): “It’s not bad. I think it is extremely painful, it is a dead leg on the muscle above the knee and he couldn’t bend the knee anymore. When this muscle swells up, there is no space for anything else.
“We have to now see how quickly that will settle. You could see he tried, but you could see he couldn’t run properly. We just waited for half-time and then made the change with Bobby.”
It’s a blow for Klopp
There is no doubt it’s bad news for Klopp as the club prepare to start playing more and more fixtures in close proximity, especially with the mounting injury problems already in the team.
Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Naby Keita, Thiago Alcantara and Curtis Jones have all been injured so far this season, which has seen the Reds struggle for points in the Premier League with just nine taken from their first six league games – the lowest point tally since the German coach arrived in 2015.
However, newly-signed Carvalho has been a linchpin in the little success Liverpool have had this term, with his most notable moment so far coming from the Newcastle United clash last week, when the young talent scored a last-minute winner for his team to take all three points from the game.
The Portuguese 20-year-old has as many goals as club-record-breaking signing Darwin Nunez – two – despite averaging just 25 minutes per outing in the league, and he will be a big miss if his injury is more serious than originally thought.
There is a silver lining for the Merseysiders, though, as James Pearce has revealed that Thiago Alcantara will resume full training at the Kirkby training ground on Monday, which is a huge blessing ahead of the clash with Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday night over in Italy.
Would Carvalho be a big miss?
It remains to be seen if either Carvalho or Thiago will be available for selection in the European clash but Klopp will surely be hoping that not only are both players ready and raring to go, but his team can take some confidence with a victory in the prestigious competition midweek to inject into their Premier League fixtures ahead.
