Liverpool's Fabinho ruled out until 2020 with ankle injury
Premier League leaders Liverpool will be without influential midfielder Fabinho until the new year after the Brazilian suffered ankle ligament damage in Wednesday's Champions League draw with Napoli.
The 26-year-old "will begin a rehabilitation (program) with the Reds' medical team at Melwood as he works his way back to full fitness," the club announced Friday.
Fabinho will miss Liverpool's important final match of the Champions League group stage against Red Bull Salzburg on Dec. 10, as well as a congested festive fixture period that includes a trip to Leicester City on Boxing Day and a visit from Wolves three days later. He will also be sidelined for the Club World Cup in December.
Liverpool didn't pinpoint exactly when Fabinho is expected to return, but he could miss up to eight weeks, according to The Athletic's James Pearce. The club begins the new year with matches against Sheffield United, Tottenham, Manchester United, and Wolves.
"Losing someone of the quality of Fabinho is massive but (Jordan Henderson), (Georginio Wijnaldum), and (Adam Lallana) have all played that position. Will it be exactly like Fabinho? Of course not, but it will be a good solution," manager Jurgen Klopp told Pearce.
Fabinho has appeared in all but one of Liverpool's league outings this season and started all five of their Champions League group-stage matches.