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Sources: Liverpool star Thiago Alcantara to miss rest of season
Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara is set to miss the rest of the season with a hip injury, sources have told Football Insider.
The Spaniard was a surprise absentee from the Reds’ squad for Sunday’s thrilling 4-3 win over Premier League top-four rivals Tottenham at Anfield.
And he had been spotted limping to the dugout prior to watching his teammates claim all three points through Diogo Jota’s injury-time winner.
Football Insider has now learned that the 32-year-old requires surgery on a long-standing hip issue that he has attempted to play through in recent weeks.
Consequently, he will miss Liverpool’s five remaining games this season and their unlikely push for Champions League qualification.
Thiago is not Klopp’s only fresh injury concern ahead of the Reds taking on Fulham at Anfield on Wednesday evening.
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Sunday’s hero Jota is a doubt having missed training since aggravating a back injury first picked up in last week’s win over West Ham.
Klopp said on Tuesday: “He got in the West Ham game a knock in the back, a bruised rib, could not train before the [Tottenham] game but could play without an injection or whatever, but got another knock immediately when he came on,” Klopp said of Jota on Tuesday afternoon.
“You might have seen the celebrations of Diogo, he was sitting down pretty slowly. He didn’t train since then so that is one that is a doubt… he is a doubt at least but I hope he can recover until tomorrow night.”
There was better news on Roberto Firmino and Naby Keita, who have returned to training this week, though the visit of the Cottagers will come too early for both men.
Klopp added: “Bobby [is] training, he looks good, not ready for the game, but is doing more and more so [we are] waiting for him in team training again. Pretty much the same for Naby.
“I think that’s it pretty much. Of course the long-term injuries, they are not involved.”
In other news, Klopp to land lengthy Liverpool touchline ban after latest bust-up.