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Just when Liverpool looked to have turned a corner on the pitch, the club suffered a setback by drawing to bottom of the table Leicester City after being outplayed by long stretches at home by the relegation-threatened side. Worse than that, perhaps, was that Adam Lallana—Liverpool’s best player in December and key to the side’s improved form—suffered a thigh strain in the process.
Today, reports from the Press Association suggest that rather than the minor thigh strain it was first believed, the injury is bad enough that Lallana will miss a month of action. Most reports had him being left out of the teamsheet for today’s match against AFC Wimbledon, but the expectation was that it was largely precautionary and that Lallana would be fit to face Sunderland on the weekend.
Now it appears likely that he will miss that match as well as league games against Aston Villa and West Ham, Liverpool’s two-legged League Cup semi-final against Chelsea, and potentially, if Liverpool advance tonight, their next FA Cup match. If early reports concerning the severity of his injury are accurate, the earliest he would be likely to return would be against Everton on February 7th.
Lallana was named Player of the Month for December by Liverpool Offside readers. The midfielder has four goals and two assists in 14 league appearances since joining the club.
