Ryan Gravenberch may have been on the bench against Burnley, but he was not 100 percent fit after noting a fitness issue during Liverpool’s warm-up.
The Reds were without 10 senior players on Saturday due to a mixture of illness, injury, suspension and bereavement.
Trent Alexander-Arnold then had to be taken off at half-time as a precaution, while Gravenberch was not an option for Klopp despite being named on the bench.
“Ryan felt a little bit somewhere,” the manager said in his post-match press conference without naming the specific issue.
But in an interview with NBC Sports, Klopp revealed: “Ryan Gravenberch, by the way, before the game feels the groin. You cannot bring him [on] then.
“Two weeks ago we had the perfect squad situation, two weeks later we are short in each area – like, wow!”
Thankfully, Liverpool have a week between games and the hope is that they will be able to welcome back a number of players in time for the trip to Brentford.
But whether that will include Gravenberch remains to be seen, though the Reds can ill afford another midfield casualty.
Joe Gomez and Alisson, both out due to illness, will stand a good chance as long as their sickness subsides, while Alexander-Arnold will have to be assessed after feeling discomfort in the same knee that forced him to miss three games.
“Some probably will be back [vs. Brentford], hopefully, and then we will give it a try again,” Klopp said.
Ibrahima Konate will be one name restored to the squad after serving his one-match suspension against Burnley, while there will be hopes of Mohamed Salah making his return too.
Updates on Dominik Szoboszlai (hamstring) and Conor Bradley (bereavement) will be expected later in the week, but Liverpool will not be in a hurry to rush either back.
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
