Cody Gakpo injury: “Several weeks” on sidelines for Liverpool forward

Cody Gakpo left north London in a knee brace on Saturday night, and his injury is reportedly expected to keep him sidelined for “several weeks.”

The Dutch forward was injured against Tottenham after a nasty tackle from full-back Destiny Udogie caught his ankle and forced his body to twist unnaturally.

He tried to shake it off and even scored moments later, before could not return for the second half.

Jurgen Klopp‘s initial prognosis that it was “possibly” a bad injury did not offer much optimism, and Dutch journalist Rik Elfrink, who reports on Gakpo’s former club PSV, has since offered an update.

Elfrink, who was one of the first to report Liverpool’s interest in Gakpo, says that Gakpo “is expected to be out for several weeks at Liverpool.”

LONDON, ENGLAND - Saturday, September 30, 2023: Liverpool's Cody Gakpo goes down injured after scoring the first equalising goal during the FA Premier League match between Tottenham Hotspur FC and Liverpool FC at the Tottenham Hotspur Stadium. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

In a positive spin, he added: “If all goes well, a few weeks.”

This would ensure Gakpo will not return until after the international break and likely only in November, which would see him miss a minimum of five Liverpool games.

There will be further updates on Gakpo’s status to come, no doubt, but this does fall in line with the assessment of injury specialist @physioscout, who had concerns over an MCL sprain (medial collateral ligament).

If that is the case, dependent on the severity of the strain, time on the sidelines could be up to six to eight weeks.

After effectively rotating his team throughout the early stages of the season so far, Klopp will have to reassess for the short-term as Darwin Nunez is also carrying a “little bone” injury in his knee.

With Diogo Jota suspended for Sunday’s trip to Brighton and Gakpo out of contention for the foreseeable, there is plenty for Klopp to consider.