Jurgen Klopp has revealed that he does not expect Thiago Alcantara to return from injury until after the October international break.
The Spaniard is suffering from a calf problem picked up during his side's Premier League win over Crystal Palace, meaning he will miss his side's trip to Brentford on Saturday.
In further bad news for the Reds, Jurgen Klopp revealed that Thiago will likely miss his side's games against FC Porto and Manchester City as well.
"It’s not 100 per cent clear when Thiago will be back. It’s a muscle in the calf issue, so after the international break probably – I don’t think there’s anything earlier possible. We will have to see," he said in his pre-match press conference.
Thiago joins fellow midfielders Harvey Elliot and Naby Keita on the treatment table, and Klopp went on to provide an update on the latter's fitness - confirming that he could also miss the Reds' next Champions League fixture.
"[It’s] nothing really serious, but it keeps him out of the next game for sure - and maybe a little bit longer, we have to see.
"It’s nothing serious but it’s obviously painful and we have to see how we can deal with it. Of course, it’s not cool when players have had a good pre-season, could play a lot of games and now are out. That happens throughout a season and hopefully when they come back then that’s it and they can play the rest of the reason, that would be extremely helpful."
Although things are nowhere near as desperate yet, Klopp will feel a sense of deja vu following the injury crisis Liverpool had to deal with last season.
With Keita and Thiago both out of the Brentford game, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain seems set for a rare start alongside Jordan Henderson and Fabinho in midfield.
Source : 90min