Jurgen Klopp has been speaking at his FA Cup pre-match press conference this afternoon and has made a disappointing admission about Thiago Alcantara’s long-term injury issues.
The Liverpool boss will likely still be on a dizzying high after collecting the first trophy of the season on Sunday afternoon at Wembley Stadium but was back to business ahead of the important clash against Southampton tomorrow evening.
Indeed, there is no rest for the wicked, and Klopp will be feeling the pressure to keep the winning momentum going when his valiant squad return to action at Anfield on Wednesday night, however, the overshadowing injury crisis remains a deep concern for the German coach.
Liverpool have a number of their most experienced and talented players out of action at present, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson Becker, Dominik Szoboszlai, and Mohamed Salah just a few of the star names currently undergoing recovery from various injury issues.
The Anfield faithful will have been anxiously awaiting the manager’s press conference this afternoon, and Klopp delivered a detailed update on several players stuck on the side-lines including playmaking dynamo Thiago Alcantara.
The fan-favourite midfielder has been out of action since April 2023 , and although the star returned to the pitch for a short cameo against Arsenal in the Premier League, it was later revealed that he suffered a setback and would be unavailable for selection for the foreseeable future.
Now, Klopp has spoken out on the chances of the 32-year-old returning to action before the end of the season, and it is not good news for Liverpool fans:
“I don’t know, to be honest, (if he will play again this season),”
“It’s a couple of things, but what he has to do now from a medical point of view, and I don’t know if it will mean again if he can play again. It’s not a short-term thing, and that’s why I’m not 100% in it. I’m not sure if it’s the same, but the region is the same.”
Will Thiago sign a new contract with Liverpool?
There is no doubt that Thiago has become a popular player on the red side of Merseyside during his tenure, however, his injury record over the last three seasons has been absolutely horrific and has often left Klopp with a drop-off in quality for the deeper midfield roles.
Whilst the World Cup winner has been an outstanding contributor when fit, it makes absolutely no sense for Liverpool to extend his expiring contract this summer and should cut their losses at this point.
Thiago currently collects £200k-per-week and is one of the highest earners at the club after Virgil van Dijk and Mohamed Salah, which is an incredible thought when the midfielder has only made one five minute cameo the entire 2023/24 season so far.
Not only that, FSG will likely want to give Klopp’s successor a level of spending of power to build the next generation and team for success, and offloading a player with a huge salary would be massively advantageous in making that possible this summer.
With that being said, it would come as no surprise if Thiago does follow the Liverpool boss out of the door at the end of this season and it could be the best outcome for everyone involved moving forward to the next chapter on Merseyside.
