Liverpool’s and Brazilian international Philippe Coutinho is set to be out of action for the Reds until the New Year with the Brazilian star facing a five to six weeks recovery from an ankle injury.
The midfielder was stretchered off the pitch during his side 2-0 win over Sunderland on Saturday following a collision with Didier N’Dong, which left Coutinho’s his right leg in a brace.
There were fears he could be set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines, but test undertaken at Spire Liverpool Hospital on Monday revealed the damage is not as bad as everyone as first feared.
The update from the Hospital also revealed surgery is not required, and the 24-year-old should only be out for a maximum of six weeks, meaning a returning in the middle of January 2017 is expected.
It means he will miss the league matches against Bournemouth (Dec 4th), West Ham (Dec 11th), Middlesbrough (Dec 14th), Everton (Dec 19th), Stoke City (Dec 27th), Man City (Dec 31st) and Sunderland (Jan 2nd).
With Sadio Mane heading off to the Africa Cup of Nations in January, we won’t see a front three of Mane, Coutinho and Roberto Firmino again until February.
This is a time when Liverpool’s squad depth must come to the fore, with the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi stepping up to the plate.
Coutinho is undoubtedly going to be a big loss, but the Reds cannot let it impact too heavily on what we hope is a title-winning season.