Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp on Tuesday said that it is unlikely for Virgil van Dijk to play again in the 2020-21 season.
Van Dijk has been sidelined with a knee ligament injury since mid-October and is undergoing a rehabilitation programme.
"Whatever happens, I think we have space for Virgil on the Champions League list. I think he was on the Premier League list. Nobody told me I have to change something with that. If we have space in the Champions League list then Virgil will be on the list. In the moment, I don't know where these things are coming from - nobody really, no doctor, nobody really told me there's a chance for Virgil to play in this season again," the club's official website quoted Klopp as saying when asked if Van Dijk will be included in the Reds' updated Premier League squad list.
"I don't want to say that's absolutely impossible but it's not likely. It's not likely. We don't have to discuss these things really. If we have space we would put them all on, even when all the medical people tell us there's no chance. We put them on because we believe in miracles from time to time. But if there's no place then we have to consider these kind of things and say, 'The chance is not too big so we have to make the decision.' But if they are on the list then it's only because we hope for nearly a miracle. That's it," he added.
Earlier, Klopp had confirmed that Joel Matip will miss the remainder of the 2020-21 season due to an ankle ligament injury. The defender had sustained the injury in a challenge to thwart Tottenham Hotspur's Son Heung-min during the first half of Liverpool's 3-1 win on Friday.
However, Klopp's defensive options have been bolstered by the deadline-day arrivals of Ben Davies and Ozan Kabak. The club completed the signing of Davies from Preston North End on a long-term contract. Kabak has joined Liverpool from Schalke on loan until the end of the season, subject to international clearance.
Davies graduated through the academy ranks at Preston and went on to represent them on 145 occasions, scoring two goals, following his senior debut in January 2013.
( With inputs from ANI )
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