Jurgen Klopp fears James Milner may have picked up a ‘serious’ muscle injury during Liverpool’s 1-0 victory over Everton.
Milner managed only nine minutes of the FA Cup third round tie before hobbling off the field and Yasser Larouci came on in place of the midfielder at Anfield.
Curtis Jones won the game for Liverpool with one of the great Merseyside derby goals in the 71st minute and Klopp’s side will discover their fourth round opponents on Monday night.
Liverpool were already short of options in midfield before Sunday’s match – with both Fabinho and Naby Keita sidelined – and Milner’s injury may hit the Reds hard ahead of a their clashes with Tottenham and Manchester United.
Klopp revealed that Milner was in some pain and the German is concerned he may be out of action for a while.
Asked about Milner’s injury after Liverpool’s win, Klopp said: ‘Two players started the last game and one of them got injured, so that’s the situation we are in.
‘That’s why a lot of managers make a lot of changes; it’s nothing to do with the cup, it’s the timing.
‘Milner has pain, that says it’s serious. It’s [his] muscle.’
Klopp showered Liverpool wonderkid Jones with praise after his ‘sensational’ strike in the second half.
He said: ‘Unbelievable individual performances from the kids and the adults as well.
‘Adam Lallana – what a game, unbelievable. Joe Gomez – organising the whole defence for maybe the first time in his life.
‘Sensational game and a sensational goal from a Scouser – who could ask for more? You cannot perform like the boys performed if you think you should not perform in that team.
‘They all think like that. I am so happy they all showed up tonight. The only thing I didn’t want was a draw. We had to take some risks and it paid off.’
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