Liverpool vs Brighton: Jurgen Klopp faces fresh injury scare as Portuguese star misses training

Liverpoool have been dealt a huge blow as Diogo Jota has missed training ahead of tomorrow’s game against Brighton.

The Reds have endured an inconsistent start to the season, largely due to an extensive injury list, with the likes of Jordan Henderson, Thiago Alcantara, Joel Matip, Ibrahima Konate, Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all missing games through fitness issues.

The disruption these problems have caused have led to the Merseyside club currently sitting 8th, nine points behind league leaders Arsenal after six games.

The international break in the last two weeks has given Jurgen Klopp’s side an opportunity to reset and allowed many players to return to fitness.

However, they may now face a fresh injury issue, with forward Jota missing training today ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Brighton at Anfield tomorrow afternoon.

The Portuguese international asked to come off in his national side’s 1-0 defeat to Spain in midweek, according to the Liverpool Echo. 

Whilst neither Klopp nor the club’s communication team has made any sort of statement regarding the issue, being voluntarily substituted and then missing training is not a positive indication that he will feature against the Seagulls.

The 25-year-old has only recently recovered from a hamstring injury and returned to action for the Reds, so there may be fears that this is a recurring issue.

Jota was a crucial part of Liverpool’s excellent season last year, which led them to within two games of winning the quadruple, scoring 21 times across all competitions.

With Roberto Firmino ageing and Darwin Nunez struggling to settle quickly in the North West, Klopp would’ve been eager to use Jota against Brighton.

It’s now likely that one of the other two will start down the middle, with Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz either side of the number nine.

The Anfield based side have an important week coming up, with a trip to Arsenal sandwiched by two pivotal Champions League games against Rangers, so the injury list piling up once again will be a concern for Klopp.