Liverpool could potentially be without one of their most crucial players for the remainder of 2023, according to reports.
The Evening Standard gave an overview of those members of Jurgen Klopp’s squad who are currently nursing knocks, with Alisson Becker joining that list after he appeared to incur a hamstring problem in the closing stages of the 1-1 draw at Manchester City on Saturday.
It’s claimed that the issue could see the 31-year-old sidelined for ‘anywhere between a few weeks to the rest of the year’, with the Reds awaiting the result of scans to discover the extent of the damage.
Even if Alisson had one of his most below-par performances in a Liverpool shirt at the Etihad Stadium, Klopp will be gutted if he has to do without his first-choice goalkeeper for the remainder of the calendar year.
There may only be five weeks left in 2023 but the Reds play nine more matches before New Year’s Eve, including a pivotal week before Christmas in which both Manchester United and Arsenal visit Anfield.
With Newcastle coming to Merseyside on 1 January, it’s not unthinkable that the £150,000-per-week stopper (Capology) could miss as many as 10 matches if the scans return with the worst-case scenario, going by the suggested timeframe cited above.
Alisson’s misfortune is set to open the door for Caoimhin Kelleher to enjoy a run of games in the first team, having made just five appearances so far this season and none in the Premier League (Transfermarkt).
The Irishman is a more than capable deputy if, as seem likely, he’s needed over the coming weeks. Nonetheless, Klopp and Liverpool fans will be nervously awaiting the scan results to see how long they’ll have to cope without one of the squad’s most important players of the last five-and-a-bit years.