Jurgen Klopp admits there is an uncertainty over the extent of the injury that forced Dejan Lovren off during Saturday’s win over Bournemouth.
The Croatian limped off with seven minutes remaining after feeling some discomfort, with Ragnar Klavan fortunately being at hand to slot in as a like-for-like replacement.
Added concern over Lovren’s fitness stems from the current injury crisis at Liverpool, with the absence of Joel Matip and Joe Gomez leaving the Reds worryingly short of defensive depth.
Discussing Lovren’s issue, Klopp told Liverpoolfc.com: “I didn’t see the knock. I would love if it would be because of a ‘knock’ [rather than] a strain or tear or whatever. I have no clue.”
“He felt something but I didn’t speak to him afterwards, I only saw that he was limping.”
“We made a change because we could make that change – we had a centre-half on the bench. Hopefully [it is] not too serious, of course, but I cannot say more now.”
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Any injury layoff would come as an untimely disruption to not only Liverpool’s defining conclusion to the season but also one of Lovren’s most encouraging periods of form for the club.
The centre-back has been formidable in recent weeks, most notably across the two Champions League quarter-final legs against Manchester City.
A growing partnership with Virgil van Dijk has seen Klopp’s men prove significantly at the back, with the impact of Liverpool’s £75million man proving key in triggering the best of Lovren.
The risk of injuries may tempt Klopp into handing Klavan a start next weekend regardless of Lovren’s fitness in aid of preparing for all scenarios ahead of the Champions League semi-final clash with Roma.