Naby Keita will miss the rest of Liverpool’s season with an adductor injury.
Keita was withdrawn midway through the first half of the Reds’ 3-0 defeat to Barcelona in Wednesday’s Champions League semi-final with the problem.
Scans have now revealed that the Guinea international’s impressive debut season at Anfield is set to be prematurely curtailed due to a ruptutred tendon.
Jurgen Klopp admits Keita’s loss is a huge blow for Liverpool as well as his homeland, who will be without him for this summer’s Africa Cup of Nations.
He said: “It was really unlucky.
“He has a high-grade adductor injury. The tendon is ruptured, which keeps him out for at least two months.
“Bad news for us obviously, but bad news for Guinea as well because the Africa Cup of Nations is coming up.
“He was in a really good moment, a really, really good moment, but it happened, that’s how football and life sometimes are. It’s not too nice, but it’s very serious.”