Liverpool came away from their 6-1 win over Sparta Prague largely unscathed, but Jurgen Klopp has admitted “worry” over standout Bobby Clark.
Klopp fielded a perhaps surprisingly strong side as Liverpool took a 5-1 lead into their second leg at Anfield, but was rewarded with a blistering start.
A 4-0 lead within 14 minutes guaranteed a place in the Europa League quarter-finals – and ensured his planned substitutions could go ahead.
Except from the withdrawal of Mohamed Salah, who was set to come off midway through the second half to be replaced by Mateusz Musialowski.
Instead, injury to Clark – who scored one and assisted another in that early salvo – forced him off instead, leaving Salah to play the full 90 minutes on his first start since New Year’s Day.
Speaking to TNT Sports after the game, Klopp said of Clark: “He is the one I’m worrying a bit about.
“We actually wanted to take off Mo in that moment, but then Bobby sits on the ground in front of me, and [I said] ‘what’s with you?’, and he said ‘yeah, I feel something around the ankle’.
“Now we have to see what that is, hopefully nothing.”
The manager echoed this in his post-match press conference, and praised the teenager for a “real performance” in his midfield.
“Bobby, it’s really nice to see the boys develop and flourish, to be honest,” Klopp told reporters.
“That was a top performance of Bobby. A real performance.
“Goal yes. But he set up whichever goal with winning the ball back up high, really high pressing situation – top, top, top.
“And then controlling a football game, with all the excitement inside that he definitely still has, is fantastic.
“He is the only one we worry a little bit; I hope it’s nothing but he sat there and said he felt something, so we had to take him off.
“Besides that, everybody else should be fine.”
While Clark is now considered a full-time first-team player, with the trip to Man United only three days away, he would likely have dropped out of the starting lineup either way.
The hope will be that it is not a major issue, of course, with the former Newcastle youngster having already missed early parts of the season – including the entire Europa League group stage – due to injury.
Klopp could give an update as early as his pre-Man United press conference at 1.30pm (GMT) on Friday.
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