A disappointing Champions League night for Liverpool was compounded when goalkeeper Alisson was forced off injured in the second-half.
The Brazilian, who’s had his fair share of fitness woes on Merseyside, has long been regarded among the world’s best shot-stoppers, playing a key role in the club’s rise under Jürgen Klopp.
He was the man between the posts, for the most part, as Liverpool claimed their second Premier League title during Arne Slot’s debut season. However, with the Reds thinking about the future by signing Valencia’s highly-rated Giorgi Mamardashvili, there had been tenuous speculation regarding a potential departure in the summer, with Alisson now entering the final year of his contract.
Liverpool have typically mitigated his absences well, with Caoimhín Kelleher stepping up superbly in recent years, and now’s the turn of Mamardashvili following Alisson’s latest setback.
When Will Alisson Return From Injury?
It hasn’t yet been established what exactly is wrong with Alisson after his enforced substitution in Istanbul.
The Brazilian was withdrawn having just made a smart low save to deny Victor Osimhen, but Arne Slot seemed to suggest post-match that it wasn’t during this action when Alisson picked up the injury.
“When he sprinted back he felt something. I cannot tell you [exactly] because I am not a physio, but normally when a player when he sprints back, feels something, goes to the floor and doesn’t come back onto the pitch [it’s not good].
“If my player is on the floor, I nine out of 10 times fear the worst—and by the worst I mean he cannot continue. That’s what happened with Alisson,” he said (via Liverpool’s official website).
Slot has already ruled his goalkeeper out of Saturday’s Premier League clash against Chelsea, and it remains to be seen how long the Brazilian will spend on the sidelines. He missed more than 40 games due to three separate hamstring injuries over the previous two seasons, and Slot’s suggestion that he picked up the injury while running means it could be another hamstring issue.
He’s unlikely to team up with the Brazil national team in October, and his previous setbacks have seen him sidelined for at least a month. He’s thus at risk of being absent for Liverpool’s difficult run between the two upcoming international breaks, when they take on the likes of Manchester United, Eintracht Frankfurt, Real Madrid and Manchester City.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com as Alisson Injury: Progress, Potential Return Date for Liverpool Goalkeeper.
