Liverpool centre-back Virgil van Dijk could reportedly be sidelined for at least a month due to the hamstring injury he picked up against Brentford.
The Netherlands international was hooked at half time in that 3-1 defeat to the Bees, who had already struck through Yoane Wissa and Ibrahima Konate's own goal at that stage.
Joel Matip came on to partner Konate as Liverpool responded through Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, but Bryan Mbeumo added a third for Brentford in the dying embers to condemn the Reds to defeat.
When asked for an update on Van Dijk's condition after the game, Jurgen Klopp immediately allayed fears of a serious injury to the 31-year-old in his post-game press conference.
"Virgil felt a little bit the muscle but said he is fine, and he's a very good judge of these kind of things. But I didn't want to take any risk – the physios looked quite happy when I said we don't take risks. But I think it is not an injury, he just felt the intensity," Klopp said.
© Reuters
However, according to the Liverpool Echo, Van Dijk's issue is more serious than first feared, and the former Southampton man could now face a few weeks out of action.
The report states that Van Dijk has undergone further assessment since his precautionary withdrawal at Brentford, and those scans have confirmed a hamstring injury.
The centre-back will be sent for more tests this week to determine the severity of the problem, but there are concerns that Klopp may have to cope without him for the rest of the month.
Van Dijk has started all 23 Premier League and Champions League matches for Liverpool this season, scoring two goals in the English top flight, and he had played the full 90 in every game prior to the loss to Brentford.
The Dutchman - who also played every minute for the Netherlands during their run to the World Cup quarter-finals - previously missed 45 matches for Liverpool after rupturing his cruciate ligament in the Merseyside derby draw with Everton in October 2020.
© Reuters
Should Van Dijk indeed be ruled out for the rest of the month, the centre-back is set to miss fixtures with Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea, and Liverpool also travel to Wolverhampton Wanderers on February 4.
With Van Dijk sidelined, Konate and Matip are set to form Klopp's first-choice centre-back pairing for the next few weeks, while Joe Gomez and Nat Phillips are also waiting in the wings.
The defender's hamstring problem adds to a lengthy list of absentees for Liverpool, who are still without long-term victims Diogo Jota (calf), Arthur (thigh) and Luis Diaz (knee).
Jordan Henderson also missed the defeat to Brentford through concussion, while Roberto Firmino (calf) and James Milner (thigh) were not quite ready to return against the Bees either.
Henderson, Firmino and Milner could all come back into contention for Saturday's FA Cup tie with Wolverhampton Wanderers, where attacker Cody Gakpo will be eligible to make his debut after the formalities of his transfer from PSV Eindhoven were concluded on Tuesday.
