By Carl Markham, PA
Jurgen Klopp admits Liverpool āhope for a miracleā regarding Virgil van Dijkās recovery but accepts while it is not impossible he will play again this season it is unlikely.
The Holland captain has been out with an ACL injury since mid-October and, while his progress has been encouraging, his chances of featuring for the defending champions in their remaining matches look slim.
Liverpool left the Dutchman out of their squad submitted to the Premier League ā their Champions League squad had already been finalised ā after the first transfer window closed but it needs to be resubmitted after they brought in Ben Davies and Ozan Kabak on loan on deadline day.
JĆ¼rgen Klopp today clarified that Virgil van Dijk is unlikely to play again in 2020-21.
ā Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 2, 2021
āNo doctor told me thereās a chance for Virgil to play again this season. I donāt want to say itās impossible but itās not likely,ā said Klopp.
āI think we have space for Virgil on the Champions League list. If we have space for it, then Virgil will be on the (Premier League) list.
āIf there is no space, we have to make a decision. If he is on the list it is only because we hope for a miracle ā that is it.ā
Van Dijk is Liverpoolās third senior centre-back likely to miss the remainder of the season with Joe Gomez already ruled out with a knee injury and Joel Matip the latest after scans on ankle ligaments at the weekend ended his participation prematurely.
The hard work continues.. pic.twitter.com/XGy2fqF9nG
ā Virgil van Dijk (@VirgilvDijk) January 21, 2021
It is why the club made a last-minute dip into the transfer market to sign Davies from Preston for an initial Ā£500,000 and bring in Schalkeās Kabak.
āAt the moment we are without our first four centre-back choices and only one of them will come back in the next weeks and that is Fabinho ā and he is a six,ā added Klopp.
āOur problem is always if one more thing happens then we donāt know what to do. It is not perfect, the January window is not my favourite window.
āWe have solutions here and now we have more options. For both players it is a big chance and for us as well.ā
So… what happened to the sofa, @BenDavies1108? ?ļø? pic.twitter.com/aHeuSx28iv
ā Liverpool FC (@LFC) February 2, 2021
Klopp admits in normal circumstances he would not have gone to the Championship to bring in a player in January but was impressed with what he saw.
āIn the last few weeks and days we had to consider our situation and what we had to do,ā he said.
āWe were always looking all over, in each league in Europe and when I saw Ben it was really interesting. We watched him in a lot of games and saw he is a really good footballer. He knows how to defend.
āI was a second division player myself and we all dreamt of playing in the first league. Ben did that as well and now it is a big opportunity for both sides.
ā¹ļø Transfer update: @ozankabak4 has joined @LFC on loan for the rest of the season.
??????? We wish you all the best and good luck, Ozan!
?? Ozan, sana gelecekte herÅeyin en iyisini ve baÅarılarının devamını dileriz!#S04 pic.twitter.com/QJz5r0VVxJā FC Schalke 04 (@s04_en) February 1, 2021
āI am a big believer in opportunities and taking chances. Ben sees it the same way.ā
On Kabak, who was on Liverpoolās radar last summer, Klopp added: āIn the last few weeks he has had a really tough time. Schalke had a lot of problems this season but that is nothing to do with Ozan.
āHe has a lot of quality and he is still a talent. In a stable team he can do a lot of things really good.ā
