Liverpool have been given an injury scare following the early substitution of Kostas Tsimikas on international duty this evening.
The left-back’s involvement in Greece’s friendly against Lithuania ended midway through the first half as he was forced out of action, with Norwich City’s Dimitris Giannoulis replacing him.
However, the early signs are that it doesn’t seem to be a serious blow for the 26-year-old.
Greek journalist Giannis Chorianopoulos, who is covering the match, tweeted: “Tsimikas is out after 23 minutes at the Greece v Lithuania friendly match. Right rib problem. Seems not serious”.
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The full extent of the body blow to Tsimikas probably won’t be realised until later in the week, although the reporter’s observation that it doesn’t appear to be a major problem offers some relief.
Liverpool have already seen Darwin Nunez having to withdraw from the Uruguay squad at the start of the international break, with Cody Gakpo sitting out Netherlands’ defeat to France on Friday night due to an illness.
As per Liverpool Echo, Jurgen Klopp is sweating on the fitness of several players ahead of the Reds’ visit to Manchester City next Saturday, a game that Thiago Alcantara seems likely to miss as he continues his recovery from a hip flexor problem.
Tsimikas might not be the first name on the manager’s team sheet, having only started six league games this season (Transfermarkt), but anyone of an Anfield persuasion will still be praying that Chorianopoulos’ initial claim of the injury being a minor one turns out to be accurate.
You can see the journalist’s tweet on the injury below (via @choria80 on Twitter):
❗️ Tsimikas is out after 23 minutes at the Greece v Lithuania friendly match. Right rib problem. Seems no serious 🔴🔵@LFC #LFC #LiverpoolFC #Liverpool
— Giannis Chorianopoulos (@choria80) March 27, 2023