Liverpool fears another long-term injury as player set to miss Real Madrid clash
Source: Sport1
Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara is out with a long-term injury after sustaining a hip flexor problem.
The Reds have also been dealt another long-term injury setback. Due to the severity of the Spanish midfielder’s hip flexor injury, Liverpool will be without Thiago Alcantara for the upcoming month.
Thiago experienced the issue during training last week. And Jurgen Klopp promptly ruled him out of Monday’s Merseyside Derby.
He now faces a battle against time to return for Liverpool’s Champions League last-16 second leg match against Real Madrid on March 15. The former Barcelona and Bayern Munich player joins a list of Liverpool absentees.
Before that, the Reds will play Everton at Anfield on Monday. They then go to Newcastle for a Premier League match and take on Real in the first leg at Anfield on February 21. Thereafter, the Merseyside club will play Crystal Palace, Wolves, Manchester United, and Bournemouth. Thus, as per reports, the Spain international is set to miss all those fixtures.
The setback is the latest to afflict the Reds this season. It has seen them stand at the bottom of the upper half table, out of the Carabao and FA Cup, despite winning both competitions last year.
Liverpool’s injury problem is mounting with the latest Thiago Alcantara setback
Players like Van Dijk, Konate, Jota, Diaz, and Firmino are all out recently. But there is hope that Van Dijk, Jota, and Firmino could return to the squad for the match against Everton after being seen in training.
Jota is the nearest to making a comeback of the three. While Arthur, the forgotten on-loan midfielder who joined from Juventus in August with just 13 minutes of action for the first team has also made progress in his knee injury recovery.
The Scottish full-back Calvin Ramsay is expected to miss a significant amount of time due to a long-term injury. And he has not been registered for the Champions League team.
Right-back Ramsay, Trent Alexander-Arnold’s backup moved from Aberdeen last summer. He has only made two appearances: as a late substitute in the Champions League group stage victory over Napoli and for the full 90 minutes in the Carabao Cup penalty shootout victory over Derby County in November.
Meanwhile, Klopp acknowledged Thiago’s injury but refrained from confirming his likely absence:
“Thiago has some problems.
I know the problem. But I have to ask the medical department what I’m allowed to say! With the hip flexor, stuff like this, that’s it pretty much. He was not able to train.”
Over the past year, Liverpool’s backroom staff has changed numerous times. And the club’s medical staff has come under scrutiny for the squad’s regular ailments.
Jim Moxon, the club doctor, left the Reds in August. And the situation was not ideal due to a significant staff turnover.
