Dominik Szoboszlai could face another month on the sidelines after a reoccurrence of his hamstring injury sustained earlier this year.
Liverpool’s No. 8 was absent from the matchday squad that fell to defeat at Arsenal over the weekend, just days after making his return to the starting lineup against Chelsea.
The midfielder had missed four games due to a hamstring injury sustained against Newcastle, and only made his return off the bench against Norwich.
Szoboszlai’s setback is a significant one for the Reds as reports in Hungary, as per Index, state “the people of Liverpool are expecting a recovery time of three to four weeks,” for the 23-year-old.
That would suggest a return at the start of March and between now and then, the Reds play six games – which includes the Carabao Cup final on February 25.
Index go on to report: “Although the club still hasn’t announced the exact diagnosis, we know that according to the current situation, it is worth counting on a recovery time of about three to four weeks in the case of Szoboszlai.”
Szoboszlai has played the eighth-most minutes of any Liverpool player so far this season (1,944) and when you add his international exploits into the mix, he was always to be on the cusp of a fitness issue.
Hungarian reporter Bence Bocsak has since claimed, however, that the injury is “not as bad as reported.”
Which games could Szoboszlai miss?
With a four-week timeline for recovery, having picked up the injury after training on Friday, Szoboszlai could miss the following games:
- Burnley (H) – Premier League – February 10
- Brentford (A) – Premier League – February 17
- Luton (H) – Premier League – February 21
- Chelsea (N) – Carabao Cup Final – February 25
- Watford/Southampton (H) – FA Cup – February 28
- Nottingham Forest (A) – Premier League – March 2
At the worst case, the hope will be that the No. 8 will be fit for the visit of Man City on March 10.
What Klopp said about the injury
Speaking before the match at Arsenal, Klopp said: “Dom felt in the same area (hamstring), or pretty much a similar area, to where he was injured before.
“Not in the game [vs. Chelsea], he was fine, and then after the game slightly so we had a look at it and there was now no chance for him to be involved in this game [against Arsenal].
“We cannot take any risk. We have to wait for further assessment, but it was clear that he cannot be involved today. That’s it, pretty much.”
• READ: How “Szoboszlai mania” has gripped Hungary’s new wave of Liverpool supporters
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