JOTA WORRY Liverpool confirm Diogo Jota has a knee injury but extent of the damage yet to be confirmed

Liverpool are waiting to discover the extent of a knee injury suffered by Diogo Jota, amid suggestions that it is too early to assess how long the striker will be out.

The Portuguese forward has been in stunning form for Liverpool since signing for the club from Wolves last summer, firing nine goals in 17 appearances so far.

Yet he will miss Sunday's game at Fulham due to a knee problem, with club medical staff waiting for on the results of further tests before discovering the extent of the problem.

Klopp described's Jota's injury as 'a knock' in his latest press conference and club officials remain hopeful that he does not require an extended period on the sidelines.

Yet his injury will raise question marks over Klopp's decision to pick the striker for Wednesday night's Champions League game against Midtjylland, even though the club had already secured their place in the knock-out stages of the competition prior to kick-off.

"You can make changes but you need a few key positions," declared Klopp as he explained his decision to play big names in Denmark.

"That's why Fabinho played and the decision for Mo, who looked fine and that's why we didn't take him off. He had no issues."

Jota's absence in the hectic month of December would be another hammer blow to Klopp, who is already trying to navigate his way through a challenging season littered with high-profile injuries.

The issues inspired former Liverpool midfielder Steve McManaman to suggest Liverpool need to sign defenders in next month's transfer window.

"They need to do something about the central defensive area in January, that’s clear,” stated McManaman. "They let (Dejan) Lovren go last summer and never replaced him. What you don’t expect is to get two or three injuries in that position.

“I don’t know what the finances are at Liverpool, but if you are asking me whether I would bring somebody in during the next transfer window if I had the money to buy a good centre-half, the answer is yes.

"If Joe Gomez is out for a significant amount of time and Virgil van Dijk is as well, you have to look at it."

Read a full interview with Steve McManaman and John Aldridge's exclusive column in this weekend's Sunday World.

Download the Sunday World app

Now download the free app for all the latest Sunday World News, Crime, Irish Showbiz and Sport. Available on Apple and Android devices

Online Editors