Alexis Mac Allister had heavy strapping on his leg and had to leave the pitch before the hour mark at Sheffield United, and Jurgen Klopp had some positive news to share.
The Argentine was expected by many to be named on the bench for the trip to Bramall Lane, with Saturday’s visit to Crystal Palace viewed as the best one of the two to start.
But he started in the left-sided No. 8 role and it took only three minutes for him to go down in a heavy challenge with William Osula, with the big concern over his knee.
Mac Allister stayed on but with noticeable discomfort, and he was hit with another knock 10 minutes into the second half and by 60 minutes he could not continue any longer.
He was playing with heavy strapping on his left knee, which he iced after being replaced by Curtis Jones, but his smile at full-time hinted at all being well.
Post-mach, Klopp gave a brief update on the No. 10, saying: “Macca, a shame [that] early he got a cut and as long as the wound was open, we just strapped it.
“It was painful, but he could play. We stitched it and then it got a bit tighter there, and he couldn’t move anymore.
“We have to see how long that will take. I hope not too long.”
That is the best news we could hope for, but with the trip to Palace coming in less than 72 hours, it does not leave a lot of time for the midfielder to rest and recover.
That will be on Klopp’s mind as he weighs up his selection choices for the early Saturday kick-off, and it could result in Wataru Endo starting his fourth league game of the season.
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