Rafael Benítez may have to rethink his plans for the transfer window after learning that Glen Johnson's medial knee ligament damage will sideline the England international until the middle of next month.
Johnson saw a specialist on Thursday to establish the extent of the injury, sustained in Tuesday's 1-0 Premier League win against Aston Villa, and Benítez has confirmed that the £18 million right-back will be out for "at least one month", though reports that Johnson could miss the World Cup are wide of the mark.
"He has a problem, so he'll see [another] specialist and then we will talk," said the Liverpool manager. "We know he'll be out for at least one month. But we're waiting for another opinion and then we'll know how long."
Johnson's understudy, Martin Kelly, has struggled with an ankle injured in the Champions League tie against Lyon in October and is not expected to be fully fit until the end of the month. Benítez had planned to sell Philipp Degen, the injury-plagued Swiss international, but the manager is now considering retaining Degen, who has made just seven appearances in 18 months at Anfield, for the rest of the season.
Should Degen indeed leave, Benítez would have just the rookie Stephen Darby and a reluctant Jamie Carragher – who has made it clear he would rather not switch from his usual central role – to cover for Johnson.
Benítez may still look to bolster his resources at full-back should Degen stay, though Liverpool's financial strictures are such that he would, most likely, be able only to bring in a temporary replacement on loan or a free transfer.
Until Johnson limped off in the 89th minute at Villa Park, Benítez's priority was to secure experienced attacking cover for Fernando Torres, with Ruud van Nistelrooy, the former Manchester United striker, and Emile Heskey believed to be potential targets.
Van Nistelrooy's wages at Real Madrid, though, remain an obstacle to a loan deal – the Spanish side would have to pay a significant proportion of his £150,000-a-week salary to bring him into Liverpool's price range – while Martin O'Neill would be reluctant to allow Heskey to leave Aston Villa for a direct Premier League rival.
Benítez knows that he must trim his squad to allow him even the luxury of securing the long-term futures of Pepe Reina and Javier Mascherano before he considers boosting his numbers. Ryan Babel, Andrea Dossena and Andriy Voronin are believed to be available for transfer.
Johnson saw a specialist on Thursday to establish the extent of the injury, sustained in Tuesday's 1-0 Premier League win against Aston Villa, and Benítez has confirmed that the £18 million right-back will be out for "at least one month", though reports that Johnson could miss the World Cup are wide of the mark.
"He has a problem, so he'll see [another] specialist and then we will talk," said the Liverpool manager. "We know he'll be out for at least one month. But we're waiting for another opinion and then we'll know how long."
Johnson's understudy, Martin Kelly, has struggled with an ankle injured in the Champions League tie against Lyon in October and is not expected to be fully fit until the end of the month. Benítez had planned to sell Philipp Degen, the injury-plagued Swiss international, but the manager is now considering retaining Degen, who has made just seven appearances in 18 months at Anfield, for the rest of the season.
Should Degen indeed leave, Benítez would have just the rookie Stephen Darby and a reluctant Jamie Carragher – who has made it clear he would rather not switch from his usual central role – to cover for Johnson.
Benítez may still look to bolster his resources at full-back should Degen stay, though Liverpool's financial strictures are such that he would, most likely, be able only to bring in a temporary replacement on loan or a free transfer.
Until Johnson limped off in the 89th minute at Villa Park, Benítez's priority was to secure experienced attacking cover for Fernando Torres, with Ruud van Nistelrooy, the former Manchester United striker, and Emile Heskey believed to be potential targets.
Van Nistelrooy's wages at Real Madrid, though, remain an obstacle to a loan deal – the Spanish side would have to pay a significant proportion of his £150,000-a-week salary to bring him into Liverpool's price range – while Martin O'Neill would be reluctant to allow Heskey to leave Aston Villa for a direct Premier League rival.
Benítez knows that he must trim his squad to allow him even the luxury of securing the long-term futures of Pepe Reina and Javier Mascherano before he considers boosting his numbers. Ryan Babel, Andrea Dossena and Andriy Voronin are believed to be available for transfer.
No comments:
Post a Comment