As confirmed by the Official Liverpool website, midfielder Emre Can has been ruled out from action for at least 4 weeks with an ankle injury that he sustained in Liverpool’s 4-3 win against Borussia Dortmund on Thursday night. The 23-year-old left the stadium on crutches after being forced to come off in the last 10 minutes of the game.
While his absence might not be a hammer blow for Liverpool in the Premier League – considering the fact that they are destined to finish below the much coveted Champions League spot, it might derail Liverpool’s chances of winning the Europa League.
The Reds were drawn against Spanish side Villarreal for the Europa League Semi-final tie on Friday. The first leg of the tie will take place on April 29 with the reverse fixture taking place at Anfield on the following weekend.
Thus, with an injury that has effectively ruled him out for the remainder of the Premier League season, Can would also miss both the legs of the Europa League semi-final for Liverpool.
Being the embodiment of the progress that Liverpool have made under Klopp, Can has been an instrumental figure for the Reds in the last few months. Before the injury, Can had featured in all but 2 Premier League games for Liverpool this season.
However, while the player would be gutted to miss the business end of this season, it might not be a big headache to deal with for Jurgen Klopp. The German Manager has the likes of Joe Allen and Lucas Leiva at his disposal, with James Milner also showing his ability in recent weeks to play in the Liverpool midfield.
