Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has definitively ruled captain Jordan Henderson out of Sunday’s trip to Fulham after he picked up an injury against Bayern Munich.
The England international had to be replaced early on by Fabinho on Wednesday after picking up a knock, and Klopp has confirmed he won’t make it to Craven Cottage.
“Hendo’s is serious enough to rule him out of the weekend,” he said at his pre match press conference, as per journalist James Pearce’s personal Twitter account. “Just a little one with the ankle. The best scan we could get.”
Klopp also provided an update on Henderson’s fellow midfielders Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: “We will see if Naby is able to train later. After the international break Ox will be 100% fit.”
Klopp on injuries: "Hendo's is serious enough to rule him out of the weekend. Just a little one with the ankle. The best scan we could get."
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) March 15, 2019
Klopp on Keita: "We will see if Naby is able to train later. After the international break Ox will be 100% fit."
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) March 15, 2019
OPINION
This is a mixed bag of an update from Klopp. Obviously the news that Henderson is out of the Fulham game is not good. The Reds skipper, despite his critics, remains a hugely important part of this Liverpool team and someone who Klopp turns to at pivotal moments. Luckily for the German, though, Fulham shouldn’t present too much of a challenge and so this isn’t the worst game for the Englishman to miss in all honesty. As for 24-year-old Keita, he needs game time so that he can really start to find his feet on Merseyside. It’s been a terribly frustrating season for the Guinea international and this latest knock is merely the most recent setback he’s suffered. Hopefully he will be able to train on Friday and play some part against the Cottagers on Sunday. Klopp’s last line, though, about Oxlade-Chamberlain is where the good news comes in. It will be a big boost once he’s back fully fit and it doesn’t sound as if that’s far away now.
