When Liverpool returns to action Saturday, Daniel Sturridge and Emre Can will be among those watching from the stands. Joe Allen might join them, too.
Allen, Can, and Sturridge each suffered injuries recently while playing with their national teams. Sturridge injured his thigh during a practice session with England last week, Can suffered an ankle injury Tuesday during Germany U-21’s 8-0 win over Romania, and Allen emerged from Wales’ 2-1 win over Andorra with a knee problem.
Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers confirmed the news during his press conference Thursday.
Defenders Martin Skrtel and Glen Johnson also will miss Liverpool’s game against Aston Villa with injuries they suffered prior to the international break.
“We’ve got Emre Can back from Germany, who could be out for up to six weeks because of his ankle,” Rodgers said, according to LiverpoolFC.com. “We’ve got Joe Allen back from playing on awful pitch and he has an issue with his knee. We just need to assess that for the weekend.
“Those are the types of things than can happen in games and it’s unfortunate.”
Rodgers reserved special criticism for England’s sports science team, saying they could have prevented Sturridge’s injury, which will rule the Liverpool striker out for two to three weeks, with a personalized recovery plan (after England’s 1-0 win over Norway on Sept. 3).
“When we look at our players here we look at them individually in terms of what their needs are,” Rodgers said, according to the BBC. “Fast players would have a second day recovery while other players can work on that day.
“When you are that type of quick player like Daniel Sturridge, Raheem Sterling and boys like Danny Welbeck, you need to recover them.”
Liverpool also will be without defenders Martin Skrtel, Glen Johnson and Flanagan, who have yet to recover from injuries they suffered before the international break.
The injuries will thrust Liverpool’s newest players to the forefront in the coming weeks. Mario Balotelli and Rickie Lambert should shoulder the striking responsibilities in Sturridge’s absence, while Javier Manquillo and Alberto Moreno should retain their places in the starting 11. Fit-again Adam Lallana also is set to make his long-awaited Liverpool debut, so it’s not all doom and gloom at Anfield.
