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Liverpool took a devastating blow after scans revealed that Virgil van Dijk injured an anterior cruciate ligament against Everton and required surgery.
No deadline has been set for the influential defender’s absence and Liverpool sources are reluctant to rule out a comeback this season, but he faces several months on the sidelines and the possibility of missing the rest of the season cannot be ruled out. The extent of the dismissal will be known only once the surgery and further evaluation have been performed and the operation has not yet been arranged.
Van Dijk was injured early in Saturday’s Merseyside derby from a terrible foul by England goalkeeper Jordan Pickford, who escaped punishment from either referee Michael Oliver or VAR official David Coote.
Van Dijk was taken to hospital after the game for an examination and visited with a consultant on Sunday when Liverpool’s worst fears were confirmed.
“After the surgery, Van Dijk will begin a rehabilitation program with the club’s medical team to enable him to achieve full physical condition as soon as possible,” said a statement from the club.
Liverpool hope that Van Dijk’s exceptional physical record and strong mentality will allow him to recover quickly.
Jürgen Klopp was incandescent after the 2-2 draw, both from the VAR’s failure to review the Pickford incident and from his decision to disallow Jordan Henderson’s goal in the 92nd minute for a fractional offside against Sadio Mané. Losing Van Dijk, however, represents a much bigger setback that has implications for Liverpool’s chances of retaining the Premier League and their Champions League hopes.
The Netherlands captain has been a transformative signing for Liverpool since his £ 75 million arrival from Southampton in January 2018 and is almost always present in the team’s rise to Premier League champions and Champions League champions with Klopp. . He had played every minute of Liverpool’s 74 previous league games before Saturday. He had not missed a minute of the Premier League since he injured a rib against Southampton on 22 September 2018.
“Virg played, I don’t know how many games in a row,” Klopp said Saturday. “He plays with pain but he couldn’t keep playing and that’s not good.” Van Dijk’s injury, coupled with Dejan Lovren’s departure in the transfer window, leaves Klopp with only two established central defenders through January in Joël Matip and Joe Gomez, neither of whom have a strong fitness record. Defensive midfielder Fabinho has been deployed in central defense on several occasions.
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Thiago Alcântara was also scanned for a knee injury sustained in the derby after a dangerous foul by Richarlison. The injury must be resolved before the extent of the midfielder’s problem is known, but Liverpool are hopeful it is not serious. The Everton striker, who was shown a direct red card by Oliver, sent an apology message to Thiago on Saturday.
Liverpool have asked the Premier League to review the use of the VAR in the derby and want an explanation as to why Pickford’s challenge was not analyzed, what part of Mané’s body was considered offside and when the VAR decided to freeze the frame.
The club believes there should be more transparency on how the VAR reached its conclusions and is concerned about what it considers confusing and contradictory explanations offered so far. Liverpool may also ask PGMOL for clarification on the VAR request at Goodison Park.
