EPL: Liverpool's Alisson out injured for 'next few weeks'

To miss UEFA Super Cup match against Chelsea

Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s calf injury in their Premier League season opener will keep him sidelined for ‘the next few weeks’, manager Juergen Klopp said on Monday.

Alisson was injured and substituted during the first half of his side’s 4-1 win against promoted NorwichCity last week when he slipped and went down holding his calf before he was helped off the field by support staff.

Klopp had confirmed that the injury would keep the Brazilian out of contention for Wednesday’s UEFA Super Cup clash against Chelsea with new recruit Adrian, who made his Liverpool debut when he replaced Alisson, set to play in goal until his return.

"(It's) not too cool. It's a calf injury which takes him obviously out for a while," Klopp told Liverpool's website.

"I don't want to make (an) exact prognosis on when he will be back but it will not be Wednesday for sure.

“We have to see. It takes a while, it takes a couple weeks for sure. I saw already like ‘six weeks’ and stuff like this, but Ali was not a lot injured in his career.

“So I would like to wait a little bit to see how he develops in that process now, but he is not in for the next few weeks.”

Following the Super Cup match in Istanbul, Liverpool travel to Southampton for their second league match on Saturday.

Maguire will be crucial for United as Van Dijk for Liverpool: Evans

Harry Maguire is 'tailor-made' for Manchester United and could soon be as important for his new club as Virgil van Dijk is for their rivals Liverpool, former teammate Jonny Evans has said.

United made Maguire the most expensive defender in world football when they signed him for a reported 80 million pounds ($96.40 million) from LeicesterCity in the close season.

The fee eclipsed the previous record of 75 million pounds that Liverpool paid Southampton for Van Dijk in early 2018.

Evans, who came through the United youth system and spent more than a decade at Old Trafford, backed Maguire to quickly become a fan favourite with his new club.

"I don't have any worries about him there," the Leicester defender told British media.

"He's tailor-made for Manchester United, it was a great move for him. He's a player they needed... He will be a real hit there."

Van Dijk has been a transformative presence for Liverpool since joining the Merseyside club, helping them win the Champions League last season and take the Premier League title race down to the wire.

Maguire, 26, made his United debut in Sunday's 4-0 Premier League victory over Chelsea and showed signs of similar promise with a performance that earned him the man-of-the-match award.

"Both are great on the ball and Harry has got explosive pace people don't see," Evans added. "He is powerful and good in the air.

"Everyone will compare the transfer fees but it's so difficult to judge transfer fees nowadays. We're all human and it is weird we get traded for money.

"In the transfer market it's all supply and demand and things can go up and down at any moment. The most important thing is for him to be judged on how he plays."

United's next assignment is a league trip to Wolverhampton Wanderers on Monday.