19 February 2024 , 09:59
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Diogo Jota could miss TWO MONTHS of action after being stretchered off in Liverpool’s win against Brentford.
The Portuguese forward landed awkwardly during the Reds’ thumping victory in West London. He received treatment from club doctors before being carried off the pitch.
Jota was eventually replaced by the returning Mo Salah, with the Egyptian marking his return to the Liverpool side with a goal. That timing could be perfect given the amount of time Jota could potentially spend on the sidelines.
According to Portuguese outlet Record, the former Wolves forward has suffered an injury to his cruciate ligament. He will undergo further testing but there is optimism that he has not sustained a long-term problem.
The issue could potentially keep him out until mid-April and while that will still be a blow, it is still more positive than a serious knee injury. It means that Jota will miss next weekend’s League Cup final against Chelsea.
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He could however return for the title run-in, the latter stages of the Europa League and the upcoming Euros this summer. Jota, 27, had scored 14 goals in 28 games in all competitions this term.
His injury is the latest in a long line of worrying developments at Anfield. Curtis Jones and Darwin Nunez also came off with their own issues against Brentford.
Offering updates on the trio after the game, Jurgen Klopp said: “We have to see how much it costs us - we don’t know that yet. Curtis got a knock on the lower part of his shin, or above the ankle. We will see what that means.
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“It was what he felt, but he was not 100 per cent sure. That Curtis cannot play on tells you that it must be something because he would have played on at all costs. Diogo looks probably the worst; I didn’t see it back but I heard the pictures didn’t look great as well, so we have to see there.
“Darwin, we took off because he felt really a little but that was obviously today enough to immediately push the brake and that’s what we did, so we took him off and brought Cody on and that worked out really well.”
Away from Jota, Nunez and Jones; long-term absentees Joel Matip, Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic all remain sidelined. Dominik Szoboszlai, Alisson Becker and Trent Alexander-Arnold are also dealing with issues and were ruled out against Brentford.
Ahead of next weekend’s Carabao Cup clash with Chelsea, Liverpool still have a Premier League game to navigate. The Reds take on Luton at Anfield on Wednesday evening.
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