Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has acknowledged that Alisson’s return from injury might happen sooner than initially anticipated, while Diogo Jota’s injury appears to be slightly more serious.
During Saturday’s 1-1 draw against Manchester City, both players suffered injuries. Alisson strained his hamstring in the second half but continued until stoppage time, while Jota, dealing with a similar muscle tweak, was substituted earlier in the match.
Klopp provided an update ahead of Thursday’s Europa League clash with LASK at Anfield, stating, “Both are out. With Ali, it’s a bit less severe, so we have to see – not day by day. He will not play tomorrow, not on Sunday, probably not the week after. Then it should be kind of okay. Diogo will take a little bit longer; we don’t know exactly how long, but it’s a bit more severe. We have to see.”
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Reports indicate that Liverpool is eyeing their 17 December clash against Manchester United as a potential comeback date for Alisson, but it seems unlikely that Jota will return to play until 2024.
When questioned about the severity of Alisson’s injury, Klopp responded, “No, but bad enough.”
With Alisson sidelined, Republic of Ireland international Caoimhin Kelleher is poised for an extended stint in the starting lineup, affirming Liverpool’s decision not to part ways with him this past summer.
“That’s why we knew we wanted to have Caoimhin here, for these moments,” Klopp explained.
“Nobody, Caoimh included, wanted Ali to get injured, but if these kinds of things happen, then you need the strongest possible option. That’s Caoimh for us.
“That’s the only positive about it, that we can put in Caoimh. That’s fine. He gets the opportunity, which he deserves anyway.
“He would have played tomorrow night anyway, that’s clear, but now he will have a few more games, and hopefully, he can show his full potential.”