Jordan Henderson set for three weeks out with hamstring injury, says Jurgen Klopp

Jordan Henderson is expected to miss around three weeks of action due to a hamstring injury, Jurgen Klopp says.

Henderson picked up the injury in the closing stages of Liverpool’s 1-0 Champions League defeat at Atletico Madrid on Tuesday night, but Klopp said the injury is not as bad as initially feared considering the other hamstring injuries which have hit their Premier League rivals.

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Klopp also does not expect to make too many changes for their game against West Ham, live on Monday Night Football, because of the six-day turnaround from the midweek game against Atletico.

“[Henderson] could have been worse. It was a hamstring [issue] and there have been a lot of different hamstring injuries around in the Premier League, Harry Kane for example,” Klopp said.

“It’s not that bad but he will be out for around three weeks or so. It is not cool but the way we see it, we were still lucky.

“I could [make changes for West Ham] because apart from Hendo, all the other boys are fit.

“But Tuesday to Monday there is absolutely no need. That’s enough time [to recover], it’s longer than we usually have. We will see, but not because of the Atletico game.”

A three-week recovery period will rule Henderson out of Liverpool’s Premier League games against West Ham, Watford and Bournemouth, as well as the FA Cup fifth-round tie with Chelsea and likely the return leg against Atletico Madrid on March 11.

But he could be in line to return in the Merseyside derby against Everton on March 16, live on Sky Sports Premier League.

‘Mane subbed to avoid red card – he was surprised’

Klopp said he substituted Sadio Mane at half-time during the 1-0 defeat to Atletico in midweek because he wanted to avoid what he thought was an inevitable red card in the second half.

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He says he has spoken to Mane on Friday morning and accepts the forward was ‘surprised’ by the decision.

“I spoke this morning to [Mane] and asked him if he was surprised, he said ‘yes’.

“I was not nervous at all and was OK to deal with it, but it is good that’s how the player sees it. It is my honest opinion, people may not like it, but I don’t think he had a chance [to avoid a second yellow].

“It’s not about him [playing badly]. We need Sadio to be physical so he can have contact with the opponent, both situations he was in were [overplayed by Atletico players].

“It’s part of the game and you cannot avoid situations like that. The situation they created before half-time with eight players around the ref, pushing him in that direction – I did not believe we could finish the game with 11 players if I kept him on the pitch.

“He was exceptional, I would have loved to have him on the pitch. But he’s fine, he’s rested which is good as well.”

(c) Sky Sports 2020: Jordan Henderson set for three weeks out with hamstring injury, says Jurgen Klopp