Liverpool may have held on to their spot in the top four after brushing aside bitter rivals Everton at the weekend, but they’re sweating on the fitness of pacey winger Sadio Mane after the Senegalese attacker limped off the pitch after getting tangled with Toffee’s fullback Leighton Baines.
“We don’t know what Sadio has done but it doesn’t look like he is going to be ready for Wednesday,” said Reds boss Jurgen Klopp, looking ahead to the meeting with AFC Bournemouth tomorrow. “Hopefully it’s not that serious but of course it’s not nothing and that makes our life not easier I would say,” mused the German manager. “I don’t know exactly (what type of injury it is), I don’t want to speculate now.”
He may have left the stadium walking without any visible pain after the match, but the club aren’t taking any chances and will wait for the results of a scan before deciding how to proceed. Mane’s absence will do nothing to boost Liverpool’s Champions League ambitions with Anfield outfit going through a brutal spate of injuries. Returning from the international break with a thigh problem, Adam Lallana is facing around a month out and has joined club captain Jordan Henderson, who was expected to be back in action on Saturday, in flying to the United States for treatment. Although he’s returned to training, perpetually injured striker Daniel Sturridge is unlikely to be ready to go on Wednesday with Klopp likely to draft in Divock Origi in to the starting eleven.
“We can cope with his absence [Mane] but we don’t have a one-for-one replacement,” explained the Reds manager. “That is the truth and hopefully Daniel Sturridge can be available. Trent [Alexander-Arnold] was brought in [on Saturday], [we have] Ben Woodburn,” said the German, trailing off. “If [Mane’s] injured that it is not cool and that is why I don’t feel 100% happy. Now we have three days to find ‘the solution’ but we don’t have a one-on-one replacement.”
