LFC receive Lallana blow

Cape Town - Liverpool winger Adam Lallana will miss the opening months of the Premier League season due to a thigh injury, manager Jurgen Klopp confirmed.

The 29-year-old picked up the injury in their Audi Cup final defeat to Atletico Madrid. At the time Klopp called it "nothing serious", but the news is worse than expected.

"This is certainly not news we would have wanted," Klopp said. "Unfortunately, the damage is such that it will likely mean Adam is out for a couple of months not weeks, so I think we can pretty much rule him out of August and September.

"Beyond that we will monitor and wait and see. He is a boy with a world-class attitude to everything professionally and he has always come back in good time from injury setbacks since I have been here, so we will see."

The Reds kick off their Premier League campaign away to Watford next Saturday, and face Hoffenheim in Germany for the first leg of their Champions League play-off the following Tuesday.

If the forecast is correct, Lallana will also miss league matches against Crystal Palace, Arsenal, Manchester City, Burnley, and Leicester City.