Loris Karius to Miss 8-10 Weeks with Broken Hand

Loris Karius will miss the opening couple of months of the season after being ruled out for between eight to ten weeks with a broken hand. The German youth international injured his hand punching Dejan Lovren while trying to clear the ball in the pre-season friendly with Chelsea earlier in the week.

The 23-year-old turned down a place in Germany's squad for the Rio Olympics in order to focus on playing for Liverpool in what should be a crucial period in Jürgen Klopp's preparations for the new season. It was a decision that underlined Karius' determination to get his Liverpool career off to the best start possible after a £4.7 million move earlier in the summer. All indications pointed to a season where Simon Mignolet would have to spend much of his time on the bench as Klopp attempts to bring more stability to the defence.

It appears that Mignolet will get his chance to prove himself once again in his fourth campaign at Liverpool after spending the previous three as the club's first-choice goalkeeper. If Mignolet plays well enough, there should be no reason as to why he cannot hold onto his place even when Karius returns. The problem, however, is Liverpool's tough opening set of fixtures in the Premier League—plenty of opportunities for old frailties to resurface. Along with Alberto Moreno, Mignolet is widely seen as the defensive weak links in the side.

Unfortunately for Loris Karius, this period will become one of recovery instead of preparation. Karius flew back from the United States on Friday to presumably have surgery on his right hand. This news is quite a bitter setback for Liverpool ahead of the new season, but Simon Mignolet has an opportunity to make a vital contribution to Klopp's plans for a strong start to the season. Alex Manninger will step in as number two to Simon Mignolet.