Liverpool suffered a huge blow minutes before their Premier League clash with Nottingham Forest as Florian Wirtz was removed from the starting XI following the warm-ups.
The Reds are looking to secure a top-four finish in the remainder of the top flight campaign following a disappointing defence of their title.
Prior to the match against Forest, Liverpool were 19 points worse off than they were under Arne Slot last term, showing their decline in 2025-26.
Losing another key player like Wirtz is a huge blow, given the Merseyside outfit are also without a host of other players, including their club-record signing.
Along with Alexander Isak, the Reds are already currently unable to call upon Conor Bradley, Giovanni Leoni, Wataru Endo and Jeremie Frimpong.
Wirtz Was Due to Start in No.10 Role
florian wirtz liverpool
Following a difficult start to his Liverpool career after a £116m summer move from Bayer Leverkusen, the 22-year-old has been enjoying his best form in a red shirt in recent months.
Wirtz didn't net his first Premier League goal until his 17th appearance, as he scored the winning goal in a 2-1 win against rock-bottom Wolverhampton Wanderers.
Since that game at Anfield, the Germany international had scored three goals in his next eight top-flight outings, including scoring and picking up an assist in the 4-1 win against Newcastle United last month.
Wirtz was once again set to play in a four-man attack consisting of himself, Cody Gakpo, Mohamed Salah and Hugo Ekitike, before he was removed from the starting line-up.
Games Florian Wirtz Could Miss
Florian Wirtz
As long as it isn't a serious injury, the issue for Wirtz arguably could have come at a much worse time.
Liverpool face 18th-placed West Ham United at Anfield in their next Premier League game, before a double-header against bottom-of-the-table Wolves at Molineux, the first game in the league and then the second in the fifth round of the FA Cup.
A home game against another struggling side in Tottenham follows in mid-March.
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