Liverpool will be without Virgil van Dijk for an extended period, with the central defender’s hamstring injury described as “worse than first feared.”
Both Van Dijk and Jurgen Klopp were optimistic when he was forced off the pitch in a 3-1 draw against Brentford on Monday night.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, the manager said: “[He] said he was fine and he is very good at these things… I think it’s not an injury.”
But now it has become known that Van Dijk is facing a timeout, and Times correspondent Paul Joyce relayed the words from the club on Wednesday morning.
Joyce describes the situation as “worse than initially feared,” and James Pearce of The Athletic explains that the player is “scheduled to see a specialist today to determine the extent of the injury.”
The Dutchman’s recovery dates have not yet been set, but now he will at least miss the clashes with Wolverhampton and Brighton.
It is possible that Van Dijk will now be absent for a long period of time, which will be a big blow for Liverpool, who will be left without a player who has always been present in the Premier League and the Champions League.
In his absence, Joel Matip is the most likely partner of Ibrahima Konate, but both have had injury problems this season.
Joe Gomez is an alternative, while this setback will almost certainly rule out a January move for Nat Phillips, who has already been denied potential transfers to Bournemouth, Southampton and Benfica in the summer.
Until Monday, when he was substituted at half-time, no Liverpool player had spent more minutes on the pitch this season than Van Dijk.
