Liverpool were dealt a blow on Tuesday with the news that Thiago Alcantara will miss the rest of the season as he undergoes surgery on a long-standing hip injury which had kept him out of action for for two months earlier this year (The Athletic).
It marks an anti-climactic end to a frustrating campaign for the 32-year-old, who was also sidelined with a hamstring problem last autumn (Transfermarkt), although a relatively optimistic targeted return date has emerged.
As per the Daily Mail, the Reds don’t expect it to be a long-term absence for the Spain midfielder and are confident that he’ll be able to report for duty when pre-season preparations begin on 8 July.
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While it’s far from ideal that Thiago will miss the end of the season, at least going for surgery now will ensure that it crosses over with the quietest period in the club football calendar in June and early July, and it could be a small price to pay if he’s raring to go when the squad reconvenes in the summer.
As was suggested on EOTK, it could be advisable for Liverpool’s medical team to put the 32-year-old on a bespoke training plan which would help him to better manage his fitness, similar to the one administered to Curtis Jones.
Having been sidelined for much of the campaign, the Reds academy graduate makes his seventh successive Premier League start against Fulham tonight, with that septet of games coming in a 30-day period (WhoScored).
As the squad’s top tackler with 2.4 per game (WhoScored), and a player who controls the tempo of the game when on the field, Thiago’s importance to Jurgen Klopp’s side can’t be understated.
He’ll be missed this month, but it could be worth it if his surgery is a success and he endured a far smoother run of things next season.