Liverpool player suffers another setback following his long-awaited return from injury

Liverpool player suffers another setback following his long-awaited return from injury

Liverpool defender Sepp van den Berg is injured.

Despite Liverpool’s 7-0 defeat by Manchester United on Sunday, it has been a tumultuous season for Jürgen Klopp’s side, plagued by injuries and poor fitness.

However, the Reds have seen an improvement in results over the past month, coinciding with the return of key first team players.

Diogo Jota, who has been hampered by two injuries this season, including a calf problem that sidelined him for four months, returned to the Reds lineup last month.

Also, Luis Diaz is about to finish his rehabilitation period, having been sidelined since October with a knee injury. On loan midfielder Arthur Melo has also returned to team training after suffering a hamstring injury five months ago.

One player who won’t feature in the first team immediately is Van den Berg.

Van den Berg’s injury

Van den Berg, on loan at Schalke, had a promising start in Germany before being sidelined for five months in October with a sprained ankle.

On Saturday, the defender returned for Schalke II, the club’s reserve team, but scored a comical own goal in the first half.

And the Dutchman’s bad luck continued with another injury setback. Van den Berg suffered a sprained ankle in training earlier this week and is out again.

Schalke coach Thomas Reis explained on Thursday: “None of the injured players will return.”

Speaking to reporters ahead of Saturday’s Revierderby against Dortmund, Reis added: “Sepp van den Berg has had a slight setback, but let’s just be careful with him.”

Since joining Schalke, the 21-year-old has made just four first-team appearances. Although he has been placed in the provisional Netherlands Under-21 squad for this month, his latest setback will likely see him sidelined.