Jordan Henderson is expected to miss the rest of September after suffering a hamstring injury in the 2-1 win over Newcastle, following examinations last week.
It was a setback that landed Liverpool in action late in the transfer window, with Henderson joining a ridiculous list of injuries so early in the season.
With the captain sent off midway through the second half against Newcastle, the club quickly sealed a deal to bring Juventus midfielder Arthur on a season-long loan on deadline day.
The next day, medical staff ran tests on Henderson’s hamstring, and the midfielder also underwent a scan to reveal the extent of his injury.
According to James Pearce of The Athletic, the issue is just minor tension, but regardless, Henderson is expected to miss three weeks of action.
That rules him out of the next four games against Napoli, Wolves, Ajax and Chelsea, and almost certainly England too, as the Three Lions play Italy and Germany later this month.
Henderson can be expected to compete again for visiting Brighton on October 1, by which time Jurgen Klopp will hope his injury situation has improved significantly.
Thiago has already returned to full training following a hamstring problem, while Joel Matip and Diogo Jota returned for the 0-0 draw with Everton.
Fabio Carvalho suffered a dead leg in the Merseyside derby and it remains to be seen if he will travel to Naples for Wednesday’s Champions League opener, but the Portuguese will not be around for long.
Caoimhin Kelleher and Calvin Ramsay are about to return and have yet to appear this season, and Ibrahima Konate’s return schedule is similar to Henderson’s.
However, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are long-term absentees as the pair were left out of the Champions League group stage squad altogether.
In Henderson’s absence, there is a chance that Klopp could turn to Arthur for his debut against Napoli, with Fabinho, Thiago, Harvey Elliott, James Milner and potentially Curtis Jones as other options.
Fabinho looks like the only guaranteed starter at this stage, although Elliott has impressed in his recent outings.
