Liverpool have been dealt a huge injury blow ahead of their clash with Chelsea next week, with Darwin Nunez a doubt. The 23-year-old striker has endured a turbulent start to life in the Premier League following his arrival from Benfica in the summer.
Nunez, who penned a six-year deal at Anfield, has featured 23 times for Jurgen Klopp's side this season, directly contributing towards 10 goals. While his overall ability in front of goal has been questioned, the Uruguay international's chaotic behaviour on the pitch, movement and physical presence is a spectacle to behold.
The Reds will be keen to have Nunez available for the blockbuster clash with Chelsea, with both clubs desperate for three points in the race for top-four. In an official statement from Liverpool, the striker has been absent from training due to a 'minor issue'.
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It's said that Nunez will be regularly checked ahead of their trip to the south coast to lock horns with Brighton on Saturday, January 14. Liverpool face Wolves in a FA Cup third round replay on January 17 before welcoming Chelsea to Merseyside on January 21.
"If he cannot train today then, yes, that would rule him out,” said Klopp, speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday morning. "We are waiting for the latest information; it is not a major one, but it still kept him out of training. We have to wait for that."
The Liverpool boss continued by detailing the other injury news in his squad, with James Milner, Stefan Bajcetic and Roberto Firmino the topic of conversation. He said: "Millie, yesterday, did big parts of training and will be back in normal training today. Bobby not.
"Stefan will be back in training today. He was out, he got a knock on the hip bone, which is quite uncomfortable, but he will back as well and that's it pretty much.
"In the first moment, it was like a little injury where the estimate [was] 10 days, two weeks. He did the normal rehab stuff, all the experts told us what we can do - and then Bobby felt again something and that kept him out then for longer. I don't know exactly when he will be back, but he's not close to team training, no."
Potter has just as many, if not more, injuries to juggle, with almost a starting line-up of absentees. The biggest of blows see Christian Pulisic and Raheem Sterling on the sideline, though Reece James and Ruben Loftus-Cheek are back on the training pitches at Cobham.
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