In what appears to be a recurrence of the heel problem that restricted Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson to only 17 Premier League appearances last season, the departure of the Reds midfielder midway through the second half of their win over Manchester City at Anfield yesterday has got more than one Kopite worried that the 26-year old could be set for a spell on the sidelines as the club look to manage this latest flare up.
“In this moment, it’s a little bit of pain in the heel,” confirmed Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp, explaining why the skipper was replaced with Divock Origi just past the hour mark. “If Hendo is limping, it is probably a little bit more pain,” conceded the German manager, unsure of the extent of the problem. “We have to see. We will see. We don’t know exactly in this moment.”
An eighth minute header from Georginio Wijnaldum proved to be the decider as the Reds kept up the pressure on league leaders Chelsea, but that will be long forgotten come tomorrow with the quick turn around of the holiday program meaning that they’re back in action against Sunderland on Monday — a match that may come too soon for Henderson. With a bench that’s looking a bit threadbare as it is, losing the influence of the skipper for any period of time could be a major blow to their title ambitions.
“The next game is already waiting against Sunderland,” said Klopp, already looking ahead. “They’re fighting for the league and for their lives and probably you’ll ask me in the next press conference will I rotate or whatever,” added the boss, obviously a bit bemused. “They will fight for everything, so that’s the situation.”
