Fabinho Pictured In A Protective Boot After Napoli Match

In a matter of minutes, the emotions for Liverpool fans swung from dread, to relief, and back to dread, as Fabinho tried—and failed—to play on through an apparent ankle injury.

Jurgen Klopp’s update last night was hardly reassuring last night, calling the knock a potentially “massive” blow to the club. And now a picture is circulating with the Brazilian international in a protective boot. Joy.

Now, as we saw with Mohamed Salah over the international break, a protective boot does not necessarily mean a long-term injury. It’s not necessarily a good sign, either.

Luckily—if you can call a suspension lucky—Fabinho was ineligible to play against Brighton at the weekend anyway, giving Flaco at least a few extra days to recover.

Fabinho has been a massive reason for Liverpool’s success since claiming the #6 role as his own midway through last year’s campaign. At times he’s been otherworldly with his ability to read, tackle, and spring an attack, often all in one swift move (or one, long, extended leg). If Liverpool have ambitions of “finishing the job,” both in regards to Champions League knockout round qualification and Premier League glory, the Reds would benefit from a fully healthy Fabs.

In the meantime, all we can do is hold our breath, and maybe stay off of social media.