Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has taken to his pre-match press conference ahead of the Merseyside Derby tomorrow evening to deliver the blow that Diogo Jota will spend the next two weeks sidelined due to an injury sustained over the weekend.
The Reds looked like there was an opportunity to get back on track as Klopp could finally freshen up his starting eleven at Craven Cottage on Sunday afternoon.
Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez were dropped to the bench after the pair failed to impress their German coach in recent performances when it came to converting crucial chances, which have played their part in the inability to qualify for the next round of the Europa League.
Also, the Merseyside giants have found themselves dropping points in the extremely tight Premier League title challenge, it is now out of their hands to win unless Manchester City or Arsenal drop points over the remaining league fixtures.
Injuries have plagued the business end of Liverpool’s season, and ever since Christmas, there haven’t been many players that haven’t required a stint on the injury table, and it’s looking like Klopp’s luck hasn’t changed as he addressed the media this afternoon to discuss the clash with Everton tomorrow.
When asked if there were any new injury concerns ahead of the short trip across Stanley Park, the Liverpool boss revealed:
“Unfortunately yes, Diogo scored the goal, felt a little bit and now we found out it’s a little bit more.”
“So he’ll be out for two weeks. Besides that, no.”
When will Jota return from injury?
There is no doubt that the Anfield faithful will feel massively frustrated by the latest on Jota as he has been the most clinical forward that Liverpool possess this season.
As it stands, the German manager has confirmed that the 27-year-old winger will be out of action for a fortnight, meaning he will miss Everton, West Ham United on Saturday and Tottenham Hotspur on May 5th.
Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah, Luis Diaz and Cody Gakpo have all struggled over recent weeks to offer a consistent output in front of goal and the Portuguese hitman’s return gave a huge boost of confidence that Liverpool could take Arsenal and Man City down to the wire when competing for the title.
Now Klopp and the Liverpool support will desperately be hoping that Jota’s absence can inspire some better attacking performances in the last few games of the campaign, and fans will expect to see a passionate display at Goodison Park against Sean Dyche’s men under the lights on Wednesday.
With that being said, the sooner Jota returns to action the better as his tenacity in front of goal is sorely missed when he’s unavailable and ultimately could be the difference between clinching the Premier League title or finishing the season with just the Carabao Cup.
