Liverpool goalkeeper Loris Karius is set to miss around two months of action, having broken his hand on the Reds’ tour of the US.
The 23-year-old signed in a deal worth £4.7 million this summer, as was set to take up the role of first-choice stopper under Jurgen Klopp.
But his season has already been derailed, having suffered a broken hand that will leave him on the sidelines for a lengthy period.
Simon Mignolet is now set to resume his duties as Liverpool’s No. 1 goalkeeper, while Karius recovers from what is a hugely frustrating injury for the former Mainz 05 star.
Karius is now due to fly back to the UK for treatment, with an operation likely, and he is not set to return until October.
The injury was suffered when coming out to punch a Cesc Fabregas cross during Thursday morning’s 1-0 defeat to Chelsea at the Rose Bowl, colliding with Liverpool centre-back Dejan Lovren.
Mignolet will now be provided backup by veteran shot-stopper Alex Manninger, leaving Klopp in a disappointing situation heading into 2016/17.
Manninger was signed to provide occasional cover between the sticks, with the Austrian largely brought in to mentor Karius in his role as Liverpool’s new first choice.
The 39-year-old has previously enjoyed spells with a number of clubs including Arsenal, Juventus and most recently Augsburg in the Bundesliga.
Klopp has three goalkeepers out on loan in Danny Ward, Ryan Fulton and Adam Bogdan, though it remains unclear whether he can recall any of them.
Liverpool continue their pre-season preparations with an International Champions Cup clash with AC Milan on Sunday morning, before rounding off their US tour against AS Roma on Tuesday.
After taking on Barcelona and Mainz, the Reds will begin their season without Karius at the Emirates Stadium, kicking off the Premier League campaign away to Arsenal on August 14.
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