Jurgen Klopp rules Liverpool trio out of Luton and Chelsea games with injury update

Jurgen Klopp has confirmed Diogo Jota will be out for months, joining a trio of Liverpool players on the sidelines to miss vital games against Luton and Chelsea in the Carabao Cup final this week.

The Reds have been contending with a number of injuries in recent weeks, though Mohamed Salah starred in the 4-1 victory over Brentford to complete his return from a hamstring problem sustained on Africa Cup of Nations duty with Egypt.

But Jota and Curtis Jones will join Alisson in missing both games in what promises to be a crucial week for the Premier League leaders.

Klopp had already promised to pick Caoimhin Kelleher in goal anyway – but Liverpool will be without at least seven players at Wembley on Sunday.

Jota, Liverpool’s second highest scorer this season, was hurt when Brentford captain Christian Norgaard landed on him in a challenge.

The Portugal international has scored five goals in his last seven appearances and Klopp revealed the forward faces a lengthy spell on the sidelines. “With Diogo, it will obviously take rather months [than weeks],” he said.

Alisson, who was injured the day before the Brentford game, and Jones, who was also hurt before the break on Saturday, also face longer stretches on the sideline.

“It’s not great, definitely not,” he said. “So not available are Ali, that is a muscle injury, I don’t know exactly how long it takes but definitely not foreseeable time. Then Diogo with a knee issue is ruled out, Curtis with a bone ligament issue ruled out and the others we think we will deal with it day by day. With Curtis, we have important days – day five, day 10, they are important days - and we judge the situation again and it depends on the pain level so I couldn’t say and give you a timeframe.”

Jones, who had started nine of Liverpool’s last 10 games, had become a key figure in the midfield and Klopp indicated that Dominik Szoboszlai would lose his race against time to be fit for the Carabao Cup final, when vice-captain Trent Alexander-Arnold will also be sidelined.

“All the little bit longer term [injuries] like Trent and Dom are on the way back but not in team training yet,” he said.

Striker Darwin Nunez was taken off at half-time against Brentford in what Klopp described as a precautionary move and might be fit to face Luton but Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara remain absent.