With only two matches left to play before the end of the season, it’s looking increasingly like Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson will have to watch the rest of it from the sidelines as the midfielder continues to struggle with a foot problem picked up all the way back in February.
“You wish a ligament had snapped. Then at least you know if you can fix it or if you have to wait for six, eight weeks or whatever,” said Reds boss Jurgen Klopp, sounding as frustrated as ever by the situation. “This is the kind of issue where you have to wait. That is how the body is sometimes. Jordan can manage really well. It was the medical department that said he has to rest,” added the German manager. “We still have to wait, that is all.”
Henderson has been relegated to the sidelines as Liverpool vie for a spot in next season’s Champions League — a struggle that has been almost as infuriating as his injury. Clearly missing the influence of their captain, the Reds are limping in to the penultimate match of the campaign away to West Ham United having blown the chance to keep their fate in their own hands with a dour draw with Southampton at the weekend. Holding matches in hand, both Arsenal and Manchester United could conceivably catch the Anfield outfit before it’s all said and done, but there is outside hope that the skipper could be back in time to play some part in the final push.
“We have not made a final judgment for this season,” confirmed Klopp, refusing to rule out a return before the curtain lowers. “We don’t know if he will back tomorrow in training or next week but because it is Jordan and he has a really high fitness level, even if it just swimming, we know we can think about him immediately when he is ready,” explained the Reds manager. “Then we could think about the national team. If he has games then he could play, if not it makes no sense, but we have not spoken [to England].”
