Liverpool has a new injury concern ahead of Sunday’s game against Manchester City after Ibrahima Konaté limped off against Sparta Prague. But Joe Gomez had no fitness issues when he was withdrawn at half-time.
Reds fans were left wondering if Gomez being taken off was injury-related when he was replaced by Conor Bradley. And any fears only grew when Konaté pulled up just moments after the break and had to be replaced by Virgil van Dijk.
It sparked fresh worries of a new defensive crisis before the visit of the reigning Premier League champions at Anfield on Sunday. Manager Jürgen Klopp was non-commital on Konaté’s status ahead of that game, and he could still join several other big names who are already sidelined for one of the biggest matches of the season so far.
Here’s a look at all the players with injury concerns and where they stand before City arrives on Merseyside. With Mohamed Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai having made their comebacks, at least that is a big plus for Klopp ahead of the massive game.
Ibrahima Konaté
Klopp revealed after the Sparta game that Konaté warned he should be taken off as a precaution. He pulled up while chasing back to defend against an attack and was instantly replaced by Van Dijk. It’s not clear exactly what the problem was, but he felt some discomfort and wanted to protect himself ahead of Sunday’s game.
“Ibou said to me ‘if I do another sprint, it could be set’,” Klopp said. “Should be fine but we don’t know,. So let’s see with Ibou.” At this stage, it’s unclear whether the Frenchman will be fit until he has been fully assessed. He certainly hasn’t been ruled out, but it’s obvious he will face a race against time to feature without there being the risk of doing further damage. Possible return date: Man City on Sunday in a perfect scenario.
Joe Gomez
Klopp had a simple response when asked about Gomez being withdrawn at halftime against Sparta Prague, and it was positive news as he remains available to take on City. “Joe Gomez is fine,” Klopp declared. “Played a lot, rotation.”
With Konaté potentially not being fully fit, Gomez being fit and fresh after playing only 45 minutes could prove vital as the Reds look to stop City’s attack. Possible return date: Man City. He isn’t injured.
Ryan Gravenberch and Jayden Danns
Ryan Gravenberch injured his ankle in the Carabao Cup final but there were positive signs for the Dutchman earlier this week when he was pictured arriving at the AXA Training Centre with his teammates. He was also walking unaided without a protective boot.
However, he was not seen in first-team training ahead of the game against Sparta Prague and it seems likely the Manchester City game will come too soon after he suffered ankle ligament damage at Wembley. While there haven’t been any further updates, Liverpool will be hopeful he’s not too far away from a return.
Jayden Danns also missed the trip to Prague after building some momentum with some impressive first-team cameos. He suffered a concussion against Nottingham Forest despite being on the pitch for just a few minutes after colliding with goalkeeper Mats Selz. He could be back on the bench against Manchester City if he recovers in time. Possible return date: After the international break for Gravenberch and potentially the weekend for Danns.
Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota
Alisson, Alexander-Arnold and Jota are among the biggest absentees for Klopp’s team, and all three first-team stars will miss out on the visit of Manchester City. Assistant manager Pep Ljinders gave an update on all three ahead of the Carabao Cup final and confirmed they will be out until after the international break. That would mean a return on March 31 at the earliest.
“And all the others, we know it’s longer,” Ljinders said. “Ali has a muscle injury. Trent, LCL. Jota, medial ligament, MCL. They will be longer out.” Possible return date: After the upcoming international break. In the case of Jota, probably quite a bit of time after
Curtis Jones
Curtis Jones came off best from Ljinders’ update before the Carabao Cup final as it was revealed Jones was closer than the aforementioned trio when it came to making a comeback. The young midfielder has a “high ankle sprain” and is expected soon, although the Manchester City game will almost certainly come too soon.
“Curtis is probably the first one [to come back] around the international break,” Ljinders said. “All the others will be after the international break.” Possible return date: Manchester United just before the international break (but probably after to be safe).
Joël Matip and Ben Doak
Matip and Doak are both long-term absentees after having surgery on knee injuries. Neither is likely to feature before the end of the campaign, meaning Klopp will not be able to call upon either against Manchester City.
Matip suffered an ACL injury against Fulham in December which could prove his last game in a Liverpool shirt. Doak also underwent surgery in December. Possible return date: Unknown, but likely late in the season at best.
Thiago Alcântara and Stefan Bajčetić
Midfielders Thiago and Bajčetić have both battled with injuries throughout the campaign and look unlikely to feature at all this term. Thiago’s return date is unknown, but Klopp conceded when he aggravated a hip problem last month that his season might be over.
There’s no suggestion he’s nearing a return and he will be among the absentees as City visit. Bajčetić will also not feature while he is nursed back to full fitness, although it was recently revealed he is close to returning to training. Klopp explained: “Stefan is, that’s one of these things. I had lunch here and so I’m training, I sat there and thought, ‘why is he not playing!?’
“So, he’s obviously gaining fitness now, he’s running around like, wow. He’s doing everything but not yet, he didn’t get the green light yet for us for the team training and there’s nobody in this building who wants to hold him back so there might be some reasons to it.
“He’s pain free, completely pain free, which is the most important thing. All checks we made like scans again, bone looks good that’s all fine when he’s just doing the stuff he’s doing now.” Possible return date: Unknown.
