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Jurgen Klopp confirms Liverpool injury blow to Dejan Lovren

Dom Toner

Fri 13 December 2019 14:15, UK

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that defender Dejan Lovren is set to face a spell on the sidelines after picking up a muscle injury in midweek.

The senior 30-year-old centre-back sustained a problem in midweek during the Champions League away win over Red Bull Salzburg, which ensured qualification for the Reds to the knockouts.

Liverpool continue their hectic December by hosting Watford in the Premier League on Saturday and the Croatian enforcer will miss that fixture.

There is no timescale yet on his potential return, while centre-back teammate Joel Matip has also been out injured with a knee problem since October.

That leaves only Virgil van Djk and Joe Gomez as the fit senior centre-backs in the squad, which is alarming when they consider the amount of fixtures still ahead in December.

Klopp has revealed the injury blow to Lovren, but did mention teenage pair Sepp van der Berg and Ki-Jana Hoever as potential cover.

“He (Lovren) is out with muscle. It is more serious than last time. We have problems. Don’t have a timeframe, he’s out,”

“Two fit CBs is a concern, not the first time we have this situation. We have to be creative, we have Ki-Jana and Sepp.”

TBR’s View:

Liverpool are starting to mount up the injuries right now and that’s why nobody on Merseyside will be 100 per cent confident with their eight-point gap over Leicester City at the top of the Premier League.

Another injury blow at centre-back would leave the side in a real dilemma and it could force Klopp to lean on the club’s impressive academy.

Van den Berg and Hoever are both 17-year-old defenders that could be required in the coming weeks, which would be a massive test for them.

Both have featured in the Carabao Cup this season with the first-team, but experiencing Premier League action would be a major step up.