Liverpool's James Milner in Premier League action against Manchester City
The Athletic’s Liverpool reporter James Pearce has shared news from Reds manager Jurgen Klopp that James Milner is ‘not available’ for their match at Tottenham Hotspur on Sunday.
The Lowdown: Concussion injury
The 36-year-old had to go off with concussion in the Reds’ 2-0 win at home to Napoli in the Champions League in midweek.
Klopp confirmed that the club would need to carry out further checks on the veteran midfielder ahead of their clash against Spurs in the Premier League.
The Latest: ‘Not available’
Taking to Twitter, Pearce has shared an update on Milner from Klopp’s pre-game press conference, with the German revealing that the Liverpool midfielder is ‘not available’ for Sunday as he has to follow ‘concussion protocol’.
As per the journalist, Klopp said: “Millie is not available as he goes through concussion protocol. He’s available for full contact training on Tuesday if everything goes well.”
The Verdict: Not ideal
Losing another squad player in Milner is certainly not ideal for Klopp ahead of a huge clash against a fellow ‘big six’ rival.
Liverpool already have Luis Diaz, Joel Matip, Naby Keita, Arthur Melo and Diogo Jota ruled out through injury, and with Milner absent too, it leaves Klopp especially short for midfield options.
The 36-year-old seemingly raises his game against Tottenham as well – he has won 16 times against them in his career, the third-most of any team he has faced – and his character in the dressing room as well as on the pitch will be missed as the Reds seek a big performance to revive their ailing league campaign.
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