The club hasn’t confirmed anything just yet, but ITV broadcaster Sam Matterface claims that Jurgen Klopp has ruled Gini Wijnaldum out of the Reds’ FIFA Club World Cup squad.
Wijnaldum to miss the Club World Cup according to Jurgen Klopp #LFC
— Sam Matterface (@sammatterface) December 14, 2019
The Dutch international was taken off in the second half, clutching his hamstring after going down with what appeared to be an injury.
The good news is that Gini walked off the pitch, to a thunderous applause from the Anfield faithful, and didn’t require an assistance. In all likelihood, he will miss a few games for the Reds.
We’re lucky in that we’ve got players like Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain waiting in the wings who can fill in for any injured starters, as they’re arguably just as capable.
Our No.5 will likely be missing from our Club World Cup squad, but there has been no official word from the club and no direct quotes from Jurgen Klopp.
With all due respect, potential opposition in Monterrey and Flamengo shouldn’t be the biggest obstacle for the European Champions – Keita could quite easily slot into the Gini shaped hole in our midfield.
Like we saw against Watford, the boss could even experiment with his formation and have two holding midfielders along with a more offensive line up.