Report: Liverpool resigned to Coutinho absence of at least 6 weeks

Liverpool is preparing to be without Philippe Coutinho for at least six weeks of the title-chasing club's busy festive period, after he injured his ankle during Saturday's 2-0 defeat of Sunderland, reports The Telegraph's Chris Bascombe.

The Brazilian has undergone a scan on the issue, and although the Reds have yet to set a timeline for his return, the early estimates aren't positive.

"The best thing would be for him not to be out, but it is not really likely. We have to wait for the scan and then we will know," manager Jurgen Klopp told reporters on Monday.

Coutinho's worrisome ailment was sustained on one of his trademark meandering runs at Anfield. As he made inroads from the left and toward Sunderland's 6-yard box, Didier N'Dong's clumsy tackle attempt saw him swing a kick that connected with Coutinho's right peg.

The significant setback comes when the 24-year-old Coutinho was not only enjoying his best spell at Liverpool since joining from Inter Milan in 2013, but while he was arguably one of the most in-form players in Europe.

Bascombe notes that a six-week stint on the sidelines is the most optimistic diagnosis, but Coutinho may be unavailable well into January. That chunk of the Premier League campaign is Liverpool's most hectic; up until and including Jan. 2's return match in Sunderland, the Merseyside outfit crams in eight professional matches across 35 days, including Tuesday's League Cup visit from Leeds United.

Liverpool had apparently already asked the Football Association to consider rescheduling its fixtures, due to the heavy workload surrounding that Sunderland kick-off and the visit from Manchester City 46 hours earlier.

Now, Klopp is likely to face shuffling his pack without Coutinho. Daniel Sturridge and Divock Origi are likely the first candidates to partner Roberto Firmino and Sadio Mane in the three-man attack, although the latter is set to be away for at least six weeks starting in January for Senegal's Africa Cup of Nations campaign.

The lack of Coutinho and Mane in the lineup could accelerate transfer tattle from The Daily Mail's Simon Jones and others, indicating Klopp wants to bring Christian Pulisic to northwest England from his former club, Borussia Dortmund.