Liverpool injury news: Is Sadio Mane out for the season?

Liverpool injury news: Daniel Sturridge back for Leicester?

22 January

Liverpool's Daniel Sturridge appears unlikely to play until February, after manager Jurgen Klopp indicated the perennially injured striker would not be available for another ten days.

"He's not with the team at the moment. But we have enough games this season when we hopefully can use him but not, if nothing happens, for at least the next ten days," said Klopp.

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Speaking ahead of the Reds' trip to Norwich on Saturday, he added that none of his injured players would be returning to the squad this weekend and that midfielder Adam Lallana was also a doubt for the game after picking up a knock against Manchester United last week.

It means Philippe Coutinho, Dejan Lovren and Martin Skrtel will all be absent once again as they recover from hamstring problems. It is not clear when they will be return, although Coutinho is "making smooth progress" in his recovery, says the Daily Mail, which does not put a timetable on his recovery.

If Sturridge does miss the next ten days, he will be unavailable for the League Cup semi-final clash with Stoke on Tuesday and the FA Cup tie against West Ham the following weekend. He could, however, be back in contention for the league game at Leicester on 2 February, if his manager's prognosis is correct and the player avoids any further setbacks.

Despite Klopp's comments, the Liverpool Echo puts a more positive spin on the situation and reports that Sturridge has "taken a step forward" in his comeback. It interprets the manager's assessment as meaning that "if everything goes to plan, he could feature against West Ham in the FA Cup next weekend".

Liverpool injury news: Origi is out but defenders return

12 January

First it was knee injuries. Then came the hamstring saga. Now it is back to knee problems at Anfield with striker Divock Origi out for a month after undergoing minor surgery.

The Belgian limped off with a hamstring problem against Leicester on Boxing Day and was expected to be out for three weeks. However, hopes of a return in January have now been "dashed" following a minor procedure on his knee, says the Liverpool Echo.

"The knee problem is a long-standing issue which has hampered Origi at times throughout his debut season at Anfield," says the newspaper. "After being assessed by club medical staff, the decision was taken to get it sorted now. He travelled to his homeland last week to undergo the procedure."

This means Klopp will now have to choose between Christian Benteke and Roberto Firmino up front for tomorrow's game against Arsenal as striker Daniel Sturridge is still not fit.

There is better news elsewhere. After fielding Jose Enrique and Tiago Ilori as centre-backs against Exeter in the FA Cup last Friday, Klopp now has the "relative luxury" of two fit central defenders at his disposal, says The Guardian.

Kolo Toure has overcome cramp and will be available, while Mamadou Sakho is also expected to be fit - despite a knee injury sustained against West Ham earlier this month.

"Dejan Lovren has recovered quicker than anticipated from a hamstring injury and could be available for Manchester United’s visit on Sunday," adds the newspaper.

Club captain Jordan Henderson should also be available in midfield for the Arsenal match, which could allow Klopp to deploy Lucas Leiva as a makeshift defender if necessary.

Liverpool injury news: doubts about Ilori as Ibe joins 'The 'Hamstring Seven'

8 January

Forget The Hateful Eight, Liverpool have The Hamstring Seven to worry about after Jordan Ibe became the latest victim of the Anfield curse.

The midfielder, who scored the winner against Stoke in the League Cup semi-final first leg on Tuesday, has since been diagnosed with a muscle problem and will miss the FA Cup tie with Exeter tonight.

Seven of Jurgen Klopp's squad are now out of action with hamstring injuries, with Ibe joining Philippe Coutinho, Dejan Lovren, Daniel Sturridge, Divock Origi, Jordan Rossiter and Martin Skrtel on the treatment table.

It also brings the overall casualty list at Anfield to an unlucky 13, notes Sky Sports, with Kolo Toure recovering from cramp (in the hamstring, naturally), Jordan Henderson, Mamadou Sakho and Jon Flanagan also sidelined and Danny Ings and Joe Gomez out for the season.

With no fit centre back, Klopp will be forced to give Spain's Jose Enrique his first taste of action for two years, playing him in defence alongside Tiago Ilori, who has been recalled from his loan spell at Aston Villa.

But Ilori, who did not play a single minute in the Premier League with the Birmingham side, may be short of match fitness as he, too, has had problems this season.

"He was injured but now he is fit and in training. I think he has played for Aston Villa's second team a few times so he should be available," said Klopp.

Liverpool injury news: Coutinho ruled out until February

07 January

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed their fans' worst fears with the news midfielder Philippe Coutinho will be out of action until February with a hamstring injury. This means the player will miss the crucial Premier league games against Arsenal and Manchester United.

The Brazilian limped off the pitch during Tuesday's League Cup semi-final first leg against Stoke and is unlikely to be fit for the return fixture at the end of the month. He should be back in contention for the final in late February if Liverpool make it to Wembley.

Klopp said Coutinho would not be available until "two or three weeks" after the United game, which takes place on 17 January.

Defender Dejan Lovren, who also injured a hamstring in the match, will miss the big games against the Gunners and United as well, although he could return to action before the end of the month.

Anfield's injury crisis means Liverpool will face Exeter in the FA Cup on Friday night without any senior central defenders.

"The Reds boss, who is already without Mamadou Sakho and Martin Skrtel through injury, also revealed that his last fit centre-half [Kolo] Toure will also miss the trip to Exeter because of cramp," says the Daily Mirror.

The Ivorian finished the Stoke game clutching his hamstring, but did not suffer any meaningful muscle damage. However, he will need more than 72 hours to recover, said the Liverpool boss.

With the pressure mounting, Klopp reacted with sarcasm to comments from Sunderland manager Sam Allardyce that the Liverpool manager was responsible for the glut of injuries at Liverpool.

The German had underestimated "how ferocious" the Premier League is, Allardyce told Talksport: "And because he has asked for that extra high energy, that extra ten yards, these lads are fatiguing... and picking up these muscle strains."

Speaking at a press conference on Thursday, Klopp shrugged off the claims. "I'm glad for Sam that such an experienced manager has time to think about Liverpool's problems," he said.

Liverpool injury news: Toure has cramp, but Coutinho is 'out for a month'

6 January

Amid the sound of pinging hamstrings, there was some good news for Liverpool in the wake of their win over Stoke in the League Cup semi-final yesterday as the Reds revealed defender Kolo Toure was only suffering from cramp in the final stages of the game.

Having seen both midfielder Philippe Coutinho and defender Dejan Lovren limp out of the match with muscle problems, it appeared that Toure had also succumbed to the hamstring curse in the final minutes.

Had the player suffered a serious injury, it would have left manager Jurgen Klopp without a single recognised centre-back at his disposal for this weekend's FA Cup tie against Exeter - and possibly the huge Premier League clashes with Arsenal and Manchester United that follow.

But despite the reprieve for Toure, Liverpool is still facing a massive injury crisis. "The Reds now have 12 players sidelined, with SIX suffering hamstring problems," says the Daily Mirror, which adds that Klopp will attempt to recall young defender Tiago Ilori from his loan deal with Aston Villa to plug the gap.

"Lovren will discover later the extent of his hamstring injury, but he could be out for upwards of three weeks, while Klopp has already ruled [Mamadou] Sakho out of the Exeter trip and [Martin] Skrtel won't return until the end of the month at the earliest," adds the Mirror.

That leaves Klopp with no option but to buy a defender in the January transfer window, even if Ilori does return.

Meanwhile, key midfielder Coutinho "could be out for up to a month", says local paper Cheshire Today.

Despite the crisis, Klopp was at pains to defend his training methods after the Stoke game, while midfielder Adam Lallana blamed the rash of injuries on players trying to impress the new manager by pushing themselves too hard.