Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Naby Keita’s season is over and that he could be set for eight weeks on the sidelines with a groin injury.
The 24-year-old sustained the blow during the first half of the first leg clash with Barcelona in the Champions League semi-finals on Wednesday night.
Keita was forced to limp off amid fears that he had sustained a serious injury as he was seen clutching his groin area, and Liverpool’s worst fears have come true as it’s a ruptured adductor which will sideline him for two months, as per freelance injury analyst Ben Dinnery’s tweet below.
Albeit there are only a handful of games remaining this season, it is a blow for the Merseyside giants as Keita will now miss the second leg against Barcelona as well as must-win Premier League games against Newcastle United and Wolves.
Liverpool remain in the hunt for the league title as well as the Champions League, but given that they must rely on Manchester City to drop points and face a 3-0 deficit against Barcelona, the odds of them winning silverware look bleak for now.
It’s hoped that Keita can make a full and swift recovery from his injury blow, but it would appear as though he’ll now spend his summer in rehabilitation working on that groin recovery as opposed to enjoying a break and coming back fully fit in pre-season.
The Guinea international made 33 appearances in his first season at Anfield, scoring three goals and providing one assist as he certainly appeared to be settling well as the campaign went on.
Keita KO'd for the rest of the season. Klopp confirms it was a "high grade" adductor injury (ruptured) which will keep him sidelined for a minimum of two months. "Bad news for us and for Guinea with the Africa Cup of Nations coming up. Not nice." #LFC
— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) May 3, 2019
