Liverpool aren’t having the best of luck with injuries when it comes to defenders so far this season, with Virgil van Dijk, Joel Matip and now Fabinho on the side-lines.
The Brazilian is, of course, a midfielder – but he’s been utilised as an emergency centre-half amid the injury crisis at Anfield.
Fabinho seemingly sustained a strain last night as the Reds beat Midtjylland 2-0 in the Champions League, with the player needing a scan to determine the nature of his injury.
One big question on Liverpool fans’ minds now is: who is going to play with Joe Gomez?
There are a few ways Jurgen Klopp could go, and we at Empire of the Kop have whittled down what we think are the five best options for the boss…
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Rhys Williams
The 19-year-old is the obvious choice, with the youngster already making three senior appearances this season in the Champions League and Premier League.
Jordan Henderson
The skipper is the next plausible option – while it’s not his natural position, Hendo has played as a centre-half before and completely understands the role.
Billy Koumetio
Not too far off shouts for Williams, the Frenchman would be another option. The only reason he’s not top of this list is because we haven’t seen much of him since pre-season.
Nat Phillips
The Bolton native should probably be closer to Klopp’s plans right now, but with Williams and Fabinho starting ahead of him, it’s unclear where he stands.
A change of formation (two players)
A drastic and unlikely option, but switching up our formation to allow a couple of full-backs to play either side of Gomez in a 3-4-3 is possible.
The task then is deciding who plays as the wing-backs out of Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson, Neco Williams and Kostas Tsimikas and who is left with the increased defensive responsibility.