By Betsefy
Liverpool and Portugal attacker Diogo Jota will miss the 2022 World Cup with a calf injury, Jurgen Klopp has confirmed.
The 25-year-old went down in the final few seconds of Sunday’s 1-0 Premier League win over Manchester City and had to be stretchered off the field.
There were initial fears that Jota’s injury would be serious enough to keep him out of the World Cup in Qatar, and Klopp has now confirmed the worst.
Speaking to reporters ahead of Wednesday’s clash with West Ham United, the Liverpool boss revealed that the attacker’s injury was “pretty serious” and he would not be able to represent the Selecao next month.
“Not good news about Diogo. He will miss the World Cup, it’s a pretty serious calf muscle injury,” Klopp said in his pre-match press conference.
© Reuters
“The first diagnosis was clear and it’s very sad news for us. We have to look at [player welfare], we always do and if we can consider things lineup-wise, we will. It’s an intense period, we’re used to it but full energy is required again against West Ham.”
When asked for a timeframe on Jota’s recovery, Klopp added that the ex-Wolverhampton Wanderers man would take “months” to get back to full fitness, although he will not need to undergo surgery.
“It’s a big impact. Now we can say that because he will be out for a long time, we talk about months. We will see, I don’t want to put a number on it. It will be long,” Klopp added.
More to follow.
