da dobrowin： This article is part of Football FanCast’s Injury News series, which considers the impact of the latest updates on players’ fitness.
da betcris： Jurgen Klopp has said that Fabinho’s injury is “massive”.
What’s the story?
The Brazil international was in the starting line-up against Napoli in the Champions League on Wednesday, but he only lasted 19 minutes before being taken off due to an ankle injury. Georginio Wijnaldum came on to replace him.
Speaking after the match, Klopp was clearly worried about the knock, saying: “The biggest thing is the Fabinho injury, that’s massive.
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“It’s early and we all hope it’s not too serious but it’s pretty painful and in an area you don’t want to have pain, around the ankle.”
Henderson to step into the breach
Fabinho has been in fantastic form so far this campaign. In September, Gary Neville said he was the best defensive midfielder in the world (Sky Sports via Metro), and he has started all but one Premier League game this term.
His absence, should it be a long one, would be a huge blow to the Reds.
The question is, who will step into the breach? Well, it could actually present the perfect opportunity to play Jordan Henderson in a position that suits him far more.
He may be a Champions League-winning captain, but he is far from immune to criticism amongst the club’s fanbase, with Klopp evening expressing his bewilderment at the extent of Henderson’s criticism when addressing the issue back in 2018, per Daily Mirror.
Perhaps that is because he has been predominantly used in a central midfield role when his attributes appear to be better suited to a more defensive-minded position.
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Only Fabinho has more tackles per match than Henderson in the Reds’ team in the Premier League, whilst it is the same in regards to interceptions as well.
The England international is certainly not a regular goalscorer in a red shirt – he has just 26 goals in 341 appearances for the Merseyside outfit – and he has just 46 assists for the club as well. Yet his voice and influence is something that Liverpool cannot do without, which means he is needed on the pitch.
With Fabinho potentially out of the picture for a while, Henderson could have the chance to show his boss where he is at his best.
Not only that, it could have allow him to show his true worth to those fans who have doubted him.
In other news, Liverpool fans are shocked by one man’s omission from James Pearce’s Team of the Decade.