Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp faces an unexpected shortage of midfielders ahead of Sunday’s meeting with Brentford, despite being spoilt for choice earlier this season. Two fresh injury concerns have placed Klopp on the back foot, leaving him with little room to manoeuvre when it comes to team selection.
Speaking before Thursday’s Europa League showdown with Toulouse, Klopp confirmed that Curtis Jones would not be fit to return until after the international break due to a ‘low grade’ hamstring issue.
Ryan Gravenberch is also at risk of missing out after skipping the trip to France with a knee problem. Klopp stated that phasing the Dutchman back in for the Brentford match is a possibility, but fielding him from the start may be a stretch too far.
Separate injuries to Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic, as well as Alexis Mac Allister’s suspension, has left the Reds scraping the bottom of the barrell to put together a midfield three.
Dominik Szoboszlai has been a revelation since signing from RB Leipzig during the summer, but his performance in the 1-1 draw with Luton Town at the weekend showed striking signs of fatigue.
Nevertheless, the midfielder shortage means that the Hungarian is likely to be handed a start. Wataru Endo and Harvey Elliott are the other two prime candidates, while Cody Gakpo could be dropped back into midfield or Trent Alexander-Arnold could be moved in from the right.
Klopp waved goodbye to a wave of experienced midfielders during the summer, with Jordan Henderson and Fabinho each trading Anfield for a move to the Saudi Pro League.
Meanwhile Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, James Milner and Naby Keita all left on free transfers. Liverpool are currently third in the Premier League table, three points behind Manchester City with only one defeat to their name this term.
