Andy Robertson faces some time on the sidelines with a shoulder injury, and his absence could present an opportunity to Liverpool’s most recent debutant, Luke Chambers.
Liverpool’s left-back suffered what appeared to be a dislocated shoulder while playing for Scotland, with the prognosis ranging from weeks to months out depending on the severity.
The hope, of course, is that the scans are as positive as they can be and it is a case of managing without him for a number of weeks, and that is when Kostas Tsimikas will need to step up.
Tsimikas has never started more than two Premier League games in a row but if Robertson is out for a month, for example, he will be needed for four league games in succession.
And this is where Chambers comes into contention. Jurgen Klopp has readily rotated his team from midweek to weekend to keep his squad fresh and firing.
With Tsimikas’ role to change in light of Robertson’s injury, irrespective of how long that may be for, Chambers, as the only other specialist left-back in the senior set-up, stands to benefit.
The 19-year-old made his debut in the final moments against Leicester last month and will be on Klopp’s mind as he plots the weeks ahead, which includes Europa League and League Cup action alongside the league.
Chambers enjoyed a fruitful loan spell at Kilmarnock last season and there was talk of joining Xabi Alonso’s Bayer Leverkusen for 2023/24, but that failed to materialise due to injury.
It ensured he was also unable to be with Klopp’s squad during pre-season but the youngster, who can also play at centre-back, will hope to be an option in the coming weeks.
He is currently on international duty with England under-20s, and he was an unused substitute in Thursday’s defeat to Romania – which may be music to Klopp’s ears as he hopes for the rest of his players to return unscathed.
