Liverpool defender Joe Gomez may face the prospect of a prolonged period on the sidelines after picking up an injury during England training.
Few details have emerged of the issue, but reports indicate that it is serious and could see him laid up for a lengthy period of time.
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England boss Gareth Southgate is expected to give an update on the player’s condition during his pre-match press conference before Thursday’s fixture against the Republic of Ireland.
The news is set to be another major blow to Liverpool’s Premier League title defence.
Jurgen Klopp’s rearguard has been plagued with issues over the course of the season, with centre-back Virgil van Dijk not expected to play again this term following a serious knee injury. In addition, right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold is expected to miss out for a month.
Consequently, Klopp has been forced to improvise in his rearguard. He has used Fabinho as a makeshift central defender, though the versatile Brazilian has also missed the last handful of matches because of injury.
Joel Matip is the final Liverpool centre-back standing, with Nathaniel Philipps, who spent last season on loan at Stuttgart, and 18-year-old Sepp van den Berg the other natural options open to Klopp in that area.
Klopp has been outspoken on his belief that the well being of the players is being overlooked amid a packed fixture schedule and this latest blow is unlikely to soften his stance any.
Liverpool face a hectic period in the run up to Christmas. Between November 21, when they host Leicester, and December 19, when they travel to Crystal Palace, they will play six Premier League matches plus another three games in the Champions League.
Presently, the Reds are third in the standings, one point short of surprise pacesetters Leicester.
Defensively, though, they have had their difficulties, with only Leeds and West Brom conceding more than the 17 goals they have let in.
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