LIVERPOOL WILL LIKELY discover tomorrow the extent of the injury Fabinho sustained during Tuesday’s 2-0 win over FC Midtjylland.
The 27-year-old Brazilian was replaced by Rhys Williams after 29 minutes after pulling up with what appeared to be a hamstring injury, which was confirmed post-match by concerned manager Jurgen Klopp.
The Reds boss said the injury was “exactly the last thing we needed” in a post-match interview with BT Sport, adding: “He felt his hamstring so that’s not good.
He didn’t feel it that much — he said he could’ve played on — but not sprinting so that doesn’t help. We will see, we will have to do a scan and see but clearly it’s not good.
Speaking at the post-match press conference, Klopp said of the issue: “Fab, I don’t know. Muscle injuries are like this: you get the result tomorrow morning probably, we have to wait for that.”
The German cooled fears of an injury to captain Jordan Henderson, however, explaining the thinking behind the decision to replace the England midfielder with Georginio Wijnaldum at half-time.
“First, Hendo said at half-time he wants to play on. Before the game I’d decided already we have to share it – 45 and 45 – and all the rest would have been ridiculous.
“Hendo said at half-time, ‘No, boss, I can go on,’ and then in these moments you have to be strong to yourself because I didn’t want to lose him, actually.
“We made the change, Gini did really well and for both I think it helped that they played only 45.”
As for whether or not defender Joel Matip could return to the squad for West Ham’s Premier League visit to Anfield on Saturday, Klopp said: “I don’t know, we have to see.
“Look, if it would be only one game we play, if it was the last game of the season, I think we could make probably one or the other fit for one game – but we play three days later again and we need players again.
“The players who are now injured, we cannot use them on the first day of being fit again – or not injured anymore. They need a proper build-up for the rest of the season and that’s what we try.
“It is this juggle all the time between the fit players – how much can they play still? And when we can use the others again?
“We are really interested in that fact so you can imagine we try everything to make everybody fit as quickly as possible.”
