Liverpool have been handed a defensive headache after Joel Matip was ruled out for entire Christmas programme.
The former Cameroon international has been troubled by an issue in his thigh and it forced him to miss the recent home game against Southampton, but he featured in the 3-0 win at Stoke on Wednesday, only to complain of a problem after the game.
He subsequently underwent tests at Melwood and it has emerged the damage is sufficient enough for him to be ruled out for the next month, starting with today's trip to Brighton.
It leaves manager Jurgen Klopp with a quandary as he was hoping to rotate his squad during the coming weeks and protect as many of his players as possible.