Van Dijk and Fabinho out: Klopp Considers Alternatives

Rhys Williams, Sepp van den Berg, Nathaniel Phillips and Billy Koumetio are among the leading young center-backs at Liverpool who Jurgen Klopp could pick from. To the clubs’ discontent, both Virgil van Dijk and Fabinho are now out the club with injuries.

Virgil van Dijk‘s long-term injury has given Jurgen Klopp plenty to ponder in terms of his selections at centre-back in the upcoming weeks. And, with Fabinho also getting injured last Tuesday night against Midtjylland, Klopp may have to turn to youth.

Virgil van Dijk, the Liverpool’s Dutch centre back, is one of the best in the world and considered the best, right now by many fans and football connoisseurs. So having to rely on their young players will always be a risky move as the veteran experience is lost.

Fabinho, who had started all three games following Van Dijk’s injury, got injured in the 2-0 win over Midtjylland with what looked like a hamstring injury. Fabinho was also crucial and part of a crushing duo that Klopp will now have to temporarily replace.

It is unclear whether Joel Matip will have recovered from his muscle injury to play against West Ham at Anfield on Saturday, but when he returns, Matip and Joe Gomez are set to be Liverpool’s first-choice pair. Nevertheless, Dejan Lovren’s departure in the summer leaves the club short on experienced alternatives.

With Premier League and Champions League games coming fast over the next month or so in this condensed season, Klopp admitted last Tuesday he would need to dip into Liverpool’s academy to bolster his back-line. “We have very young and inexperienced alternatives and at the moments it looks like we have to choose one of them”.

Liverpool’s fans don’t hide their “fear” for the next few games as their team is known for the almost unbeatable center-back duo and those two simultaneous losses wouldn’t be good for the Premier League and Champions’ League matches.