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Jurgen Klopp admits that Liverpool do not expect any of their wounded to return in time for the weekend’s visit to West Ham United.
Joe Gomez is now the only available senior center-back for the Reds after Fabinho was forced to retire over a muscle complaint during the first half of Tuesday’s 2-0 Champions League win over FC Midtjylland.
Virgil van Dijk is most likely out this season, while Joel Matip continues to be hampered by the leg problem that has caused him to miss the last three games.
Liverpool will travel to Italy to face Atalanta in their next Champions League Group D match on Tuesday after entertaining West Ham in the Premier League on Saturday night.
And Klopp noted that Liverpool’s busy schedule was asked when Matip or Fabinho will be available.
“I don’t know,” he said. “We have to see. This is how it is.
“If it was the last game of the season, I think we could adapt one or the other to the game.
“But we play again three days later and we need players.
“Players who are now injured, we cannot use them the first day that we are not injured. They need adequate preparation for the rest of the season.
“We are trying to juggle all the time between fit players when they can play and when we can use each other. We are trying everything so that everyone is as fit as possible. “
Thiago Alcantara, Naby Keita and Kostas Tsimikas were lost again on Tuesday, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain continues to rebound from a long-term knee problem.
And with Liverpool facing an injury crisis at center-back, Rhys Williams is now set to make his Premier League debut this weekend having played the final hour against Midtjylland as a replacement for Fabinho.
“He did really well,” Klopp said. “The only problem is that we have four days left for the West Ham game and people will make a story about him and he has to show that he can deal with it and that everything was quiet around him (until now).
“He’s a talented guy, he plays for England U20, he’s 19 years old and hasn’t played in the Premier League yet, but he has two Champions League appearances and has won both games, which is quite exceptional.
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“He did well, promising. Besides Rhys, we have Nat Phillips who is on the Champions League squad. Billy Koumetio, I’m not sure he can train on Wednesday, but he will be training again soon.
“We have very young and inexperienced alternatives, and it seems that we will have to use one of them. I do not know yet.
“But to be really clear and positive, Rhys was not in a problem situation for us, he had a very good game.”
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