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(Reuters) – Liverpool central defender Virgil van Dijk’s prolonged absence with a knee injury opened the race for the Premier League title and the champions must look for a replacement in the January transfer window, former defender Jamie said Carragher.
Dutchman Van Dijk will undergo surgery for damaged ligaments suffered in Saturday’s Merseyside derby against Everton after a challenge from goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.
“The big question you’re looking at right now is, can Liverpool win the league without Van Dijk there? I think the title race is exploding,” Carragher told Sky Sports.
“I still felt at the beginning of this season that Liverpool were the team to beat. With Van Dijk out for what seems like the whole season, it will all be for Liverpool.
“Liverpool have to go on the market in January and not just because of Van Dijk’s injury. Anyway, they were weak in that area. They lost (Dejan) Lovren before the start of the season … others in those positions are prone to injury. “
Former Liverpool midfielder Danny Murphy described Van Dijk as the best central defender in the world and said Liverpool would be more vulnerable without him.
“Fabinho can get in there if (Joel) Matip and (Joe) Gomez are fighting, but beyond that, there isn’t much,” Murphy told the BBC. “They have reached January without him (Van Dijk).”
Van Dijk said in a statement https://twitter.com/VirgilvDijk/status/1317933554135912449 that he hoped to make a quick comeback.
“In football and in life, I think that everything happens for a reason and it is important to try to keep your sanity, be it in the ups or downs,” he said.
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru; Edited by Sam Holmes)
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