Liverpool are facing a nervous wait to determine the full extent of the damage sustained to Diogo Jota amid reports the striker could be sidelined for two months.
The Portugal international will miss Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Chelsea after suffering a knee injury in Saturday’s 4-1 win against Brentford and the club are awaiting further assessments to give them a clearer picture of the severity of the problem.
Jota was hurt during the first half when Bees midfielder Christian Norgaard landed awkwardly on the forward as they battled for possession at the Gtech Stadium and left west London in a knee brace.
The former Wolves frontman was taken off on a stretcher and replaced by Mohamed Salah as Liverpool temporarily went five points clear at the top of the Premier League before Arsenal’s 5-0 win at Burnley reduced the gap later that day.
It’s understood, however, that the injury is not cruciate damage and Jota is hopeful of playing some part in the final weeks of the Klopp era at Anfield, which could yet be a significant boost for the title-chasing Reds.
Jota is determined to ensure he doesn’t miss the European Championships for Portugal having been sidelined the 2022 World Cup in Qatar following a serious calf injury picked up in the closing moments of the 1-0 win over Manchester City in October of that year.
Jota had an initial scan over the weekend and is now due for further tests on Monday as Jurgen Klopp and his players reconvene at the AXA Training Centre ahead of a huge week that also sees them entertain Luton Town at Anfield on Wednesday.
It was reported in Portugal on Sunday evening that Jota is expected to miss around two months of action, which gives him a chance of featuring for the Reds for the final weeks of the campaign as they continue battling it out on four fronts.
However, further checks will provide a more definitive timeline on his absence and Liverpool are so far refusing to speculate on how long the in-form attacker will be on the shelf for.
“Diogo looks probably the worst [of the injuries at Brentford]," Klopp said after the game. "I didn’t see it back but I heard the pictures didn’t look great. We have to see there."
Jota has been in excellent form since returning from a hamstring problem at Burnley on Boxing Day, contributing six goals and four assists that included the deft header into Darwin Nunez’s path to help open the scoring at the weekend.
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