One player at Liverpool is reportedly causing increasing concern for the club’s medical staff due to his injury record.
The Reds’ 1-0 win at Crystal Palace on Saturday was tarnished by the sight of Alisson Becker hobbling off with a hamstring problem which is now set to sideline him for a few weeks.
It’s already the second time this season that the goalkeeper has suffered an injury blow, having missed a couple of games due to a thigh issue last month.
Alisson’s injury record now a worry for Liverpool
According to Football Insider, Liverpool’s medical team now believe that the Brazilian’s fitness record is ‘concerning’ after this latest setback.
The 32-year-old missed two months due to a separate hamstring problem last season, the 12th time that he’s had a spell out through either injury or illness since joining the Reds in 2018 (Transfermarkt).
The report adds that Alisson’s woes on that front were a factor in the pursuit of Giorgi Mamardashvili, who’ll arrive at Anfield next year after signing for the club in late August.
Alisson is set to miss some crucial fixtures for Liverpool
Nobody can deny that Liverpool’s number one is right up there when it comes to naming the best goalkeeper in the world, but the frequency with which he’s injured is indeed a worry.
A specific timeline hasn’t yet been confirmed for this latest body blow, but if projections of a few weeks are accurate, we probably won’t see him in action until after the November international break.
It now seems a certainty that he’ll miss the showdown against Arsenal at the end of this month, along with a difficult Champions League clash against Bundesliga title holders Bayer Leverkusen in four weeks’ time.
Luckily Arne Slot has a top-class alternative to call upon in Caoimhin Kelleher, while Vitezslav Jaros also gave a promising cameo off the bench against Palace on Saturday and could be a trustworthy backup if required.
The concerns among Liverpool staff over Alisson’s injury record are understandable, but hopefully the initial projections are more doom-mongering than the reality and we might see him back in action sooner than expected.