It wasn’t quite the words of reassurance from Jurgen Klopp that Reds had hoped for in his press conference but instead a fearful suggestion that we could be without Sadio Mane for some time.
Reports had been circulating that the forward’s knee injury was worse than Liverpool first feared and that it could potentially rule him out for the rest of the season.
Klopp was inevitably asked about the situation in his pre-match press conference ahead of Wednesday’s Bournemouth clash but was unable to shed any more light on the full extent of the issue.
“It’s not 100 per cent clear. We had, of course, an assessment and a scan, but have to wait a little but until the knee is not that swollen anymore. [It’s] not very positive, we have to say it like this, but we cannot say what it is exactly. We have to wait,” he told Liverpoolfc.com.
“When the knee is swollen you have to wait for the final assessment until it is not swollen anymore, it’s not often I have heard, ‘It was nothing… it was a bee [sting]’ or whatever!”
“It is swollen because of different reasons. It’s possible [it is season-ending] but even then, or especially then, the more difficult a situation seems to be, the better it is to handle. It feels better afterwards when you look back. Our way is not the easy way – that’s maybe the club’s history – and that’s no problem.”
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The uncertainty suggests there is serious concern over whether Mane will recover in time to play any part in Liverpool’s final push for a top four spot.
He has been instrumental in this team’s attacking style of play this season and promises to be a significant loss having already been dearly missed during his time away at the African Cup of Nations towards the beginning of the year.
All that can be done now is to remain positive and remain confident that the players Klopp still has at his disposal can pull together and drive a strong finish to the campaign.
The depth might not be there, but the talent certainly is.