Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp continues to count the cost of the October international break, with further injury concerns arising.
The Reds has already lost Andy Robertson to a dislocated shoulder in Scotland’s defeat to Spain last week, and Ben Doak was ruled out for the country’s under-21s as they faced Malta on Tuesday.
The bad news keeps on coming for LFC, with Paul Joyce reporting for The Times that Luke Chambers is now ‘a fitness concern’, having left the England under-19 squad after turning his ankle in training, returning to his club for treatment.
In the same article, it was stated that fellow left-back Robertson is awaiting the results of medical tests to determine whether an operation will be required on his injury. If so, it’s projected that he could be out of action for three to four months.
Although the body blow for Chambers mightn’t affect the first team greatly – he’s only made one senior appearance for Liverpool, and that came as a stoppage time substitute (Transfermarkt) – it nonetheless deprives Klopp of yet another left-back option.
It’s also come at the worst possible moment for the 19-year-old, who would’ve been in line for senior game-time in the wake of Robertson’s injury as Kostas Tsimikas would likely be rested for non-Premier League matches.
There’s still a possibility that it’s a relatively minor problem for the teenager and he’ll still get some first-team minutes over the next month, but his setback still comes as the latest kick in the teeth for the Reds.
Should he be ruled out of forthcoming matchday squads, Klopp may well explore some unfamiliar solutions to the left-back dilemma should he wish to rest the Greece international for some games.
One option might be to deploy Joe Gomez on that side, with the 26-year-old having occasionally lined out on the left during his time at Liverpool (Transfermarkt).
Just two months into the season, the Reds boss is already being forced to contemplate square peg in round hole solutions as the injury worries pile up. It’s looking like a campaign in which the importance of squad rotation can’t be overstated.