Liverpool dealt major injury blow as 24-year-old is ruled out of season run-in

Liverpool have been dealt a major injury blow as Naby Keita is set to miss the rest of the season after suffering a groin injury against Barcelona on Wednesday night, according to the Mirror.

Keita started for the Reds in their Champions League semi-final first leg at the Nou Camp last night but the midfielder was forced off midway through the first half after picking up a groin problem.

The 24-year-old looked distraught as he walked off the field to be replaced by Jordan Henderson in the 24th minute and he was seen heavily limping as he walked to the team coach with the rest of the squad following the 3-0 defeat.

Keita is still to be fully assessed by the Liverpool doctors before an official diagnosis is released but the Mirror claim that the early indications suggest that the midfielder will be out for at least a month.

That means Keita has been ruled out for the rest of the season as he’ll miss Liverpool’s last two Premier League games against Newcastle United on Saturday evening and Wolves next weekend while he’ll also play no part in the return leg against Barcelona at Anfield next Tuesday.

Even if the Merseysiders somehow manage to overturn last night’s 3-0 deficit to book their place in the Champions League final on June 1st, Keita would still be facing a race against time to recover in time to feature.

The news will come as a huge blow to Liverpool as although Keita endured an indifferent start to his career at the club following his big-money move from RB Leipzig last summer, the Guinea international has become a key player in recent months.

Jurgen Klopp will now have to make-do without the energetic midfielder during the run-in as Liverpool look to put last night’s defeat to Barcelona behind them and focus on toppling Man City for the title.

The Reds have the chance to reclaim top spot if they beat Newcastle at St James’ Park on Saturday and put the pressure on City ahead of their clash with Leicester at the Etihad on Monday night.