“We checked it and it was not good.”
Liverpool officially get their 2022/23 underway against Manchester City in the Community Shield, but they must do without Caoimhin Kelleher, Alisson Becker, Diogo Jota and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Jurgen Klopp is expected to start Adrian against City in the season’s curtain-raiser, with academy goalkeeper Harvey Davies on the bench. Kelleher would have been hoping to feature in the game, ay Leicester City’s King Power Stadium, but a niggling groin issue has held him back.
The Cork native played four times for Stephen Kenny’s Ireland side during the month of June, but the groin problem appears to have flared up after one of the matches. Klopp does not appear pleased with the Irish medical staff, whom, he claims, advised Kelleher his injury would be fine after some rest on his holidays. He commented:
Jurgen Klopp and Caoimhin Kelleher celebrate following a Liverpool win over Ajax, in December 2020. (Photo by Peter Byrne – Pool/Getty Images)“Yeah, Caoimh felt something after the international game and everybody, the medical department there, told him it’s fine and will be good after holiday.
“He came back and first training, felt it again. We checked it and it was not good so I think Caoimh will be another two, three weeks and then he should be fine.”
“It’s a serious hamstring injury and it will take longer” – Klopp
While Caoimhin Kelleher will be hoping to return to the first-team squad by the end of the month, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain looks set for a more prolonged spell on the sideline.
“With Oxlade it will take longer. It’s a serious hamstring injury and it will take longer. But it’s a hamstring, and we all hate this word, we hate the injury but anyway it happens from time to time and now Ox was the one.”
Earlier in the week, Klopp confirmed that Diogo Jota and Alisson had ‘no chance’ of playing. Alisson is expected to be available for Liverpool’s league opener against Fulham, on August 6.
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