van Dijk may miss Liverpool clash with Madrid due to hamstring injury
Van Dijk, 31, has now been sent to see a specialist
Liverpool fear Virgil van Dijk could be sidelined until next month with a hamstring injury leaving the defender in a race to prove his fitness for the Champions League tie with Real Madrid.
The centre back was substituted at half-time of Monday’s damaging 3-1 defeat to Brentford and the setback is understood to be more serious than initially thought.
Van Dijk, 31, has now been sent to see a specialist which would indicate that Liverpool are concerned he could be sidelined for more than a couple of weeks.
The timing of the injury represents a major blow to manager Jürgen Klopp, who has seen the quest for consistency blighted this season by loss of form from key personnel and also a high number of injuries.
Luis Díaz and Diogo Jota are long-term absentees and the prospect of Van Dijk being out until next month will do nothing to help Liverpool’s Champions League ambitions.
The defeat to Brentford has left Liverpool in sixth place in the table, seven points adrift of Manchester United who were the only top flight side with a 100 per cent record over the Christmas period as Erik ten Hag’s side climbed move into fourth place.
It is unlikely that Van Dijk would have faced Wolverhampton Wanderers in the FA Cup on Saturday, but Liverpool have key games against Brighton & Hove Albion and Chelsea looming before the end of the month.
Klopp’s side will then face Wolverhampton Wanderers, Everton and Newcastle United before the Champions League last 16 first leg tie with holders Real at Anfield on February 21.
The match-up is a repeat of last season’s final in Paris when Carlo Ancelotti’s side won 1-0, with the return leg taking place on March 15.
Meanwhile, Klopp has denied speaking to the parents of Jude Bellingham in an attempt to convince the Borussia Dortmund midfielder to move to Anfield.
Bellingham is Liverpool’s top transfer target for the summer and is being courted by Real Madrid, Manchester City and Chelsea as well.
There have been suggestions that Klopp has spoken to Denise and Mark Bellingham to try and gain the upper hand in the chase for the 19-year-old but, speaking to German publication SportBILD, he said: “These things are not possible because he is under contract with Borussia Dortmund. That is not possible without their consent. So it’s not true.
“Jude is a great player who we are familiar with, of course. We’d be stupid not to have him on our radar. But there’s nothing more to say at the moment.”
