Football
Glenn Price, Liverpool correspondent 7y

Sadio Mane's injury could be season-ending - Liverpool's Jurgen Klopp

LIVERPOOL -- Jurgen Klopp says Liverpool are still awaiting the results of a scan on Sadio Mane's injured knee but accepts it is "possible" he could miss the rest of the season.

Mane was injured following a duel with Leighton Baines in Saturday's 3-1 victory over Everton on the weekend and had to be replaced by Divock Origi in the 57th minute. 

Despite results of a first scan on the forward's knee coming back inconclusive due to swelling, Klopp ruled the Senegal international out of contention for Wednesday night's meeting with Bournemouth, admitting the situation was not "very positive."

"Unfortunately, that's possible, but why should I say that now when I don't know?" Klopp told a news conference on Tuesday afternoon when asked if Mane's injury was season-ending.

"When a knee is swollen and you have to wait for the final assessment until it's not swollen anymore, then it's not very often I've heard afterwards: 'It was nothing' or 'it was a bee' or whatever. It's swollen because of different reasons.

"It's possible, but even then -- or especially then -- the more difficult the situation seems to be, the more difficult it is to handle, the better it feels afterwards when you look back.

"It's not 100 percent clear. We made an assessment and scan but we have to wait a little bit until the knee is not that swollen anymore.

"The only thing what I can say for sure is he will not be available for tomorrow. All the rest, we have to see. It's not very positive, let me say it like this. We cannot say what it is exactly, so we have to wait for that."

Meanwhile, there is a boost for Liverpool ahead of the Bournemouth encounter, with Daniel Sturridge back in full training.

The striker, who last appeared for Liverpool in February, has recovered from a hip strain and could be part of Liverpool's matchday squad on Wednesday.

However, captain Jordan Henderson and Adam Lallana are still out injured with foot and thigh problems respectively.

"Daniel is, since yesterday, in team training, so in a good way I would say," Klopp said. "Especially in our situation, it's a very good option to have him back.

"We won't make any decisions now because yesterday was not a lot in training. Today he will be part of training hopefully and then he can probably be in the squad. We have to see."

Injuries to Sturridge, Philippe Coutinho and Danny Ings, along with Sadio Mane's participation at the African Nations Cup, have left Klopp short of options in the final third at times this season.

The Liverpool manager says the club will sign new players in the summer to ensure that there is adequate squad depth for next season, with European qualification appearing likely.

"We will show that we learned from this year," Klopp added. "I don't exactly know what to say about this, but of course we will bring in players.

"The squad will change in a few positions. We will still have young players in the squad, yes, but it gave a few young boys the opportunity to show themselves and that's good.

"But next year with more games, we need to have more options in these positions -- that's clear."

Liverpool welcome 11th-placed Bournemouth to Anfield in midweek, hoping to cement their place in the top four to secure Champions League football for the 2017-18 campaign.

With eight fixtures left to play in the Premier League, Klopp says he is far more concerned with results at this stage of the season than he is with the level of performances from his depleted squad.

"We have a few injuries, yes it doesn't make our life easier, but a lot of teams around us could probably mention the same. That's the part of the season," Klopp said.

"It's not about playing the best football in the world, it's about getting results -- and that's what we are fighting for.

"The first thing we have to think about is what's the right way to play these games. It's our job to dominate Bournemouth or whoever will come in the next few weeks. It's only our job to get the best result for us -- in an ideal world, three points for us.

"We have to think about defending all together, we have to think about making life as difficult as possible for all of our opponents.

"Because we miss different options in the offensive line, it doesn't mean that we cannot score goals. We scored goals in different games with different lineups, so we will always create chances but, first of all, I think it makes sense to think about how we can make sure that it's really, really difficult for the other team to play against us."

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