Diogo Jota picked up an ankle injury in Milan…which threatens his chance of playing in the EFL Cup final.
The Liverpool forward came off at half time with an ankle injury, that boss Jurgen Klopp said at the time “didn’t seem serious”.
But now scans have shown the issue is slightly more troublesome than first thought, with the Portugal international out of this weekend’s Premier League showdown with Norwich.
Liverpool though, are not ruling Jota out of the final at this stage, with Klopp ready to give him chance in rehab to make the showpiece Wembley contest with Chelsea.
That game comes in 10 days, on February 27, and the club’s second top scorer is still hoping he can be fit to play.
He faces a race against time, though, with the club’s medics getting straight to work on the ankle problem he picked up early in the game against Inter at the San Siro on Wednesday night.
Jota carried on until half time, but then after an assessment in the dressing room, his manager decided to make a change, with goalscorer Roberto Firmino replacing him.
Klopp confirmed afterwards that the player had suffered an ankle ligament injury, but said at the time:
“Diogo had to go off with something around the ankle ligament. We will see, we don't know exactly.
"He could have played on, maybe that's a good sign, but at half-time, the ankle was swollen anyway so we knew we had to change."
Liverpool though have plenty of options for the weekend, with Firmino in fine form after turning the Champions League game his side’s way with a fine second half performance.
And new signing Luis Diaz also impressed in Italy, as he continued his fine start to Liverpool life with an energetic display that eventually proved too much for Inter.
Klopp also has Divock Origi now back in full training after injury, and Taki Minamino - who has played every game in the EFL Cup this season and is the Reds’ top scorer in the competition, will also come into contention for the final.
