Liverpool suffer big blow as key man to miss Man Utd, Everton and Newcastle games

Thiago Alcantara will spend up to the next six weeks on the Liverpool sidelines, reports suggest.

The Spain international limped off in the Reds’ 2-2 draw at Fulham on the opening day of the Premier League season on Saturday.

Thiago suffered a hamstring injury and was replaced by Harvey Elliottt in the second half of the Craven Cottage fixture.

Now The Athletic claims that the midfielder will be unavailable for what could be until mid-September.

If that is the case, he will miss games against the likes of Manchester United (22 August), Newcastle United (31 August) and the Merseyside derby against Everton (3 September).

Thiago arrived at Anfield for £25 million from Bayern Munich in September 2020.

But he has struggled with several setbacks during his time with Liverpool. In the 2020-21 season, the ex-Barcelona man made 24 Premier League appearances.

And last term, Thiago played 25 times in the top flight - yet was still voted in the PFA Team of the Year given the quality of his performances.

Liverpool have problems in the middle of the park with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain (hamstring) and Curtis Jones (calf) sidelined.

Naby Keita missed the Fulham stalemate due to illness but is expected to be back for Monday’s clash against Crystal Palace.