Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Virgil van Dijk will now be out for “more than a month” due to a hamstring injury during the defeat to Brentford.
Not only was the 3-1 defeat to Brentford a big enough blow for Liverpool on Monday night, but concerns about Van Dijk’s injury were added to that.
Having played more minutes than any other player in the first 26 games, the Dutchman was forced to leave the field at half-time in West London and then visited a specialist on Wednesday.
It goes without saying that then Van Dijk will miss the clash with Wolverhampton in the third round of the FA Cup, but it is unknown how long he will be absent.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference on Friday, Klopp said it was a “harsh diagnosis” and his number four was likely to be out for “more than a month.”
This should result in him missing at least the next four games, and his closest return date is likely to be the Merseyside derby at Anfield on February 13.
“Virg was a surprise for us, obviously a big blow,” Klopp told reporters.
“He didn’t feel much [at the time]. I took it off, actually, no risk.
“In the end, the diagnosis was pretty harsh, but we’re talking about weeks [out] — more than a month — [and no longer].
“I hope everything will pass quickly, but he is not available yet. That’s it. We have other central defenders, so far the team is fine with them.
“But it’s harsh for Virg. He has played an incredible number of games in recent years.
“At least we can’t use it on the pitch. We’ll do it off the field.”
The manager was then asked if the injury was the result of the wear and tear of a player who had almost no break from the club or the national team after his return due to an anterior cruciate ligament injury.
“Because he played all the games he recovered between games,” he replied.
“He never had any muscle problems, he never mentioned anything. We didn’t do anything else. At that moment it was one sprint too many.”
