The injury Cody Gakpo suffered in Saturday’s controversial defeat to Tottenham is not as bad as initially feared.
Gakpo was preferred as the centre of the Reds’ attack ahead of Darwin Nuñez at the weekend, with the Uruguayan apparently ruling himself out of contention with a knee issue aggravated during the international break.
The Dutchman scored Liverpool’s first-half equaliser, but was clearly in discomfort during the celebrations and substituted at half time.
After the game, Klopp revealed his number 18 had suffered a knock when fouled by Spurs’ Destiny Udogie prior to the goal.
The manager said: “The biggest problem of the game, to be honest… before Cody Gakpo scored, we got a free-kick and he got injured and he is now with a brace limping down the corridor.
“That’s my biggest problem, to be honest, in this moment. We lost two [to red cards] and maybe a third player – really bad, really bad. So, yes, that’s something we have to deal with obviously.”
Asked if the injury for Gakpo was a ‘bad one’, Klopp added: “Possibly, I don’t know.
“He wore a brace. He scored a goal but afterwards, but after that shot he felt it even more. It was from the foul before.”
Early speculation suggested that Gakpo had suffered a knee injury that could see him miss up to six weeks of action. However, following the results of a scan to assess the extent of the damage, it appears as though the issue is less severe.
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The Athletic reports that instead the 24-year-old will be sidelined for around three weeks.
Gakpo is expected to be absent for the game against Union Saint-Gilloise at Anfield in the Europa League this Thursday, as well as Sunday’s Premier League clash away at Brighton.
However, there is hope that he will be available for the Merseyside Derby at Anfield on 21 October – Liverpool’s first game back after the international break.
Previously, Dutch journalist Rik Elfrink reported that Gakpo, who has scored three times for the Reds this season, would have to sit out Netherlands fixtures this month due to the injury.
What games will Cody Gakpo miss?
Assuming the Athletic’s reporting is correct, the Dutchman is likely to miss the following fixtures for club and country:
- vs Union SG (h) – 5 October
- vs Brighton (a) – 8 October
- vs France – 13 October
- vs Greece 16 October
