Jurgen Klopp has confirmed Liverpool defender Andy Robertson will undergo surgery and is set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
It’s a huge blow for the Reds to lose one of their key stars ahead of Saturday’s Merseyside derby against Everton – LIVE on talkSPORT.
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The Scotland captain suffered a nasty shoulder injury during the international break.
Robertson was seen being helped off the field with his right arm wrapped up in his own shirt for support during last week’s European Championship qualifying defeat to Spain.
It was doubtful he would be involved as Liverpool host crosstown rivals Everton on Saturday’s 12:30pm kick-off.
But Klopp has now confirmed the Reds face a long spell without their first-choice left-back after consulting with several medical experts.
“The decision is we go towards surgery,” Klopp said in his pre-match press conference on Friday.
“There was a little chance we could try without, but after talking to pretty much all the experts surgery will be the best for him, especially long term.
“That means he’s out for… a while. I don’t know exactly how long, but a shoulder injury is not an easy one.
“From my experience you can train quickly again but not football specific because you have to be careful of challenges and those sorts of things. So yeah, he’ll be out for a while.”
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The news means Kostas Tsimikas could be set to start against Everton and will have an extended chance to impress in the team at left-back.
The Greece international has been a dependable understudy to Robertson since his arrival from Olympiacos in 2020, and Liverpool underlined their trust in him by recently handing the 27-year-old a new contract.
“I feel like all the sacrifices I did and other things, the work I put in, [that] everything pays off,” Tsimikas – affectionately known as ‘the Greek Scouser’ by Reds fans – said after penning a new long-term deal.
“But this keeps me fully motivated for the rest. As I’ve said in many, many interviews, this team has many, many things to achieve all together and I wanted to be from the first minute a part of it.”
However, Klopp insisted he cannot play all of Liverpool’s games until Robertson returns and other players need to lend a hand.
He added: “It’s very important [to have players we trust as back-up] that’s clear. It always was like this.
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“We have Joe Gomez who can play there, Luke Chambers and other young boys who show up in training frequently, so that’s good.
“There’s a lot of talent and we need options. Kostas is definitely the most experienced in that position, but he cannot play all the games from now on. We need to use all of them.”
Klopp also provided some additional team news ahead of the Everton showdown, with midfielders Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic still out, while Cody Gakpo could be involved if he passes a late fitness test.
“Diogo Jota is available again [after suspension] and Cody trained once with the team, so we’ll have to see how that goes before tomororow,” said Klopp.
“Stefan out, Thiago out, Ben Doak has a little muscle thing so we have to see, but he’s not ready for the weekend.”
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