jurgen Klopp says Virgil van Dijk will be out “more than a month” due to a hamstring injury.
The Netherlands international, who had played in every Liverpool league game this season, was substituted at half-time in the Merseyside club’s 3-1 defeat to Brentford on Monday due to the injury.
Van Dijk went to see a specialist earlier this week to assess the extent of the injury. Klopp has now confirmed the 31-year-old will be out for the rest of January.
“Virg was a surprise for us and a big blow,” Klopp told reporters ahead of Liverpool’s FA Cup third round tie against Wolves on Saturday.
“The diagnosis was pretty harsh. It’s more than a month, but I hope it goes quick.
“It’s hard, but for him he has played an incredible amount of games in recent years.”
As well as Wolves, Van Dijk is set to miss matches against Brighton away on January 14 and Liverpool’s clash with Chelsea on January 21.
Van Dijk’s compatriot Cody Gakpo could make his first Liverpool start on Saturday with Klopp confirming “he will be involved” in the match.
Gakpo, who arrived from Eredivisie club PSV at the start of the January transfer window in a deal worth around £45m, has impressed Klopp so far in training.
“He looks really promising and fit,” the German said.
“The sessions are intense for him because they’re different. I’m very positive about him. Coming from a new league is always difficult, but we expect a positive impact.
“There have been easier moments to sign for Liverpool. This year we can’t guarantee CL football, but Cody never asked. He knew the decision.
“He can see the table. But he wants to push the train that always helps.”
Klopp also added that he wants to see a better “structured and intense” Liverpool side from now on with the club sitting in sixth in the Premier League table on 28 points and 16 points off first-placed Arsenal.
“We should have been 2-0 up before Brentford even had a corner,” he said.
“We have to work hard to force luck and then to have the momentum – and not the opponent.
“We lost it and it’s the opposite of what we wanted but we want to be more clear, balanced, structured and intense. That’s what we’re working on.”
