Injuries sustained by Mamadou Sakho and Jordon Ibe are thought to be not as serious as initially feared, following scans on Monday afternoon.
Sakho, who damaged his right knee landing awkwardly during Sunday’s 2-1 loss at home to Crystal Palace, was feared to have suffered an ACL rupture.
The Frenchman would have joined Joe Gomez and Danny Ings on the treatment table, with the summer signings both expected to miss the rest of the season with similar injuries.
However, following a scan on the knee on Monday afternoon, Sakho’s injury is not believed to be as serious as once feared.
The the Liverpool Echo suggests that “Sakho has been told he hasn’t suffered an anterior cruciate ligament injury – but the Liverpool defender is still facing a spell on the sidelines.”
Sakho will visit a consultant on Tuesday to determine the length of his layoff, with his scan revealing damage to his right knee joint.
The Daily Mail claim it will keep him out for eight weeks – which is still a huge blow for manager Jurgen Klopp.
Eight weeks out would see Sakho miss around 12 games – including the League Cup quarter-final, the whole of the festive period, games against Man City and Arsenal, and the final two Europa League group games.
Dejan Lovren replaced Sakho at Anfield, and is likely to continue to partner Martin Skrtel in defence.
Meanwhile Ibe, who was withdrawn late on against Palace after taking a knock to his knee, is not set to miss any action for Liverpool.
The 19-year-old underwent a similar scan on Monday, but it was revealed that he only suffered bruising.
Ibe is likely to miss England U21s’ clashes with Bosnia & Herzegovina and Switzerland during the international break.
However, this should not rule him out of contention for Liverpool’s Premier League game at Man City on November 21st.
Ibe has enjoyed life under Klopp so far, and the 48-year-old will be pleased that his prodigious young attacker is not sidelined for a lengthy period.
While Sakho’s injury is more disappointing, the news that he has not suffered an ACL rupture should be positive for supporters.
Jordan Henderson and Daniel Sturridge are both expected to step up their recovery from injury over the international break. James Milner should also be fit after the break.
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