Ryan Gravenberch became the latest casualty to injury, with Jurgen Klopp casting doubt over the Dutchman’s involvement for the next three Liverpool fixtures.
It was only a handful of days ago that Klopp noted the importance of getting through this period of the season without any more casualties.
He didn’t get his wish, though, with Gravenberch looking somewhat forlorn on the Anfield pitch as he was forced from the field just after the hour mark against Man United.
After the match, Klopp offered an update on the Dutchman, confirming it was a hamstring injury and saying: “We will see.
“He told me directly after the game it got worse during the game. It’s not a ‘bam’, he felt a little bit and it didn’t show immediately.
“We hoped it would go by, it didn’t, then there was this really intense sprint with the ball, which ended, at the 18-yard line, with a collision.
“I hope it’s not that serious but we have, in the next 10 days, three more games, so I don’t know if he will be part of them or one of them.
“We will see, we have to make a scan obviously.”
Gravenberch’s injury comes at a time when Liverpool are already without Alexis Mac Allister, who needs to take his recovery day by day after a nasty cut to the bone at Sheffield United.
Furthermore, there is a clear fatigue showing in Dominik Szoboszlai, Klopp’s second-most used player behind Mo Salah, and Wataru Endo‘s minutes are being managed.
The hope is that Mac Allister will be fit for the visit of Arsenal on December 23 at the latest, with there a chance he makes his comeback against West Ham in midweek.
Klopp’s update suggests that Liverpool will certainly be without Gravenberch for those two games plus the trip to Burnley on Boxing Day.
Elsewhere, Joel Matip, Thiago and Stefan Bajcetic are long-term absentees, though Andy Robertson and Diogo Jota are nearing a return to the field.
