26 February 2024 , 11:30
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The injury list continues to grow at Liverpool after two more players joined the queue for the treatment room following their Carabao Cup final success.
A host of first-team stars missed the 1-0 victory over Chelsea at Wembley, including Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai. Reds boss Jurgen Klopp was forced to name six academy graduates on the bench as he tried to navigate their ongoing crisis.
But Liverpool's woes would only worsen when Ryan Gravenberch was stretchered off in the first-half and Wataru Endo left the stadium on crutches. With Alisson and Curtis Jones among the others out, Klopp's squad is looking paper thin ahead of Wednesday's FA Cup clash against Southampton.
Here, Mirror Football take a look at the latest Liverpool injury news and return dates.
Wataru Endo
The Japanese midfielder played the entire 120 minutes against Chelsea, but was pictured leaving Wembley with a protective boot and will be assessed in the coming days. "He [Endo] walked through the ceremony with the stiffest legs I ever saw," Klopp said.
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Potential return date: Unknown
Ryan Gravenberch
Having been handed the nod to start by Klopp, Gravenberch's Carabao Cup final ended inside half an hour after being caught late on the ankle by Moises Caicedo. Speaking after the match, Klopp said: "I hope nothing is broken, but it looks like ligaments."
Potential return date: Unknown
Ryan Gravenberch was stretchered off after Moises Caicedo's challenge (Getty Images)Mohamed Salah
After returning to action following a hamstring problem against Brentford last Saturday, Salah missed the 4-1 win over Luton before sitting out at Wembley due to muscle tightness. Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders said in the build-up to the Carabao Cup final that a late decision would be made on Salah's fitness, hinting he is closing to being back. He could return for the visit of Southampton.
Potential return date: Southampton (H) - 28 Feb
Dominik Szoboszlai
Similarly to Salah, Szoboszlai was in a race against time to feature against Chelsea after suffering a reoccurrence of the hamstring issue he picked up last month. However, it appears the midfielder is close to a return having told Hungarian media that he felt he was fit enough to feature on Sunday.
"I argued a lot with the doctors," Szoboszlai said. "I feel like I could play, but the diagnosis doesn’t show that. I believe they know better, but that’s how it feels.
"I would play, I told them, my plan is to return as soon as possible pain-free, but taking the risks involved. I would take the slightly bigger risk to play in the final…but [the medical staff] were more careful. And I’m also looking to the future: I’d rather play another 20 games than get injured again now."
Potential return date: Southampton (H) - 28 Feb
Injured Liverpool trio Mohamed Salah, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai at Wembley (Getty Images)Diogo Jota
The Portugal international is facing months out of action following the knee injury he sustained against Brentford. Speaking before the Carabao Cup final, Lijnders confirmed the forward would not return until at least after next month's international break.
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Lijnders said: "Jota, medial ligament. He will be after the international break. After the international break means that we are not sure [of exact timeframe]."
Potential return date: April 2024
Darwin Nunez
Another player who was fighting to be fit for the Carabao Cup final, Nunez was taken off at half-time against Brentford as a precaution. The Uruguayan was pictured celebrating with the rest of the Liverpool squad as they lifted the trophy at Wembley on Sunday.
"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," Klopp said after Liverpool's win at Brentford earlier this month.
Potential return date: Southampton (H) - 28 Feb
Darwin Nunez is poised to return for Liverpool (Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)Curtis Jones
The midfielder left the Brentford Community Stadium on crutches and has a "high ankle strain". Jones missed the cup final and may not return until after the international break.
Potential return date: Late March 2024
Alisson
Caoimhin Kelleher featured for Liverpool at Wembley and would have started even if Alisson was fit, but the Brazil shot-stopper has a muscle problem. He hasn't featured since the 3-1 defeat at Arsenal earlier this month, with Kelleher playing the last four matches in all competitions.
"Ali, muscle injury, after the international break, it will really take time," Lijnders said before the cup final. Kelleher is now set for an extended run in the side as Liverpool push on inthe FA Cup, Europa League and Premier League.
Potential return date: April 2024
Alisson has a muscle injury (PA)Trent Alexander-Arnold
Alexander-Arnold was in a knee brace as he watched Liverpool in the Carabao Cup final. The right-back aggravated a knee problem against Burnley on February 10, having missed three weeks of action in January. Klopp had suggested that he may return in "a week or two" after the cup final. However, now according to reports he could now be out until after the international break.
Potential return date: April 2024
Thiago Alcantara
Having returned to action after 10 months out with a hip problem against Arsenal earlier this month, Thiago suffered a setback in the match and is now set for another spell on the sidelines. No timeframe has been put on when the Spaniard will be back in action, however.
Klopp said on February 3: "Yes [I expect him to play again this season], but we didn’t really think about that, in the moment we just treat the injury and get a full assessment done and knowing exactly where it came from. It’s not the intensity and stuff like this, so there are different things.
"It’s just the normal procedure and it would not be a big story if he wouldn’t have been out for that long a time. That’s how it is. It’s not a big, big injury, definitely not, but it’s obviously something nobody needed."
Possible return date: Unknown
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