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Football

16th Oct 2018

Liverpool suffer yet another injury blow during international break

Jack O'Toole

Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita withdrew from Guinea’s African Cup of Nations qualifier with Rwanda on Tuesday with a thigh injury.

Keita has been used sparingly since moving to Anfield this season and will now be added to a growing injury list that includes Mohamed Salah, Virgil van Dijk and Sadio Mane.

Salah picked up a groin injury in Egypt’s 4-1 win over Swaziland while van Dijk withdrew from Holland’s camp earlier this week after Netherlands manager Ronald Koeman revealed that his captain has been playing with two broken ribs for the last few weeks.

Meanwhile Mane reportedly fractured his thumb in Senegal’s 3-0 win over Sudan on Saturday and could be in doubt for Liverpool’s trip to Huddersfield on Saturday.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said before the international break that the sport’s authorities need to give greater consideration for the workload consumed by players following a stretch where his club played seven games in 23 days.

“People asked why this game was less intense. [It’s because] guys like Jordan only had two weeks after the World Cup,” the German stated following his side’s draw against Manchester City earlier this month.

“Now the players go off and play the Nations League which is the most senseless competition in the world. We have to start thinking about the players. You have to call the manager of any country and say can you leave players out and he says I am under pressure as well.”

 

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