Liverpool are reportedly pressing ahead in their search for a new club doctor amid their growing injury list, with eight first-team players currently unavailable.
The Reds have been without a chief doctor since Jim Moxon left his role in August. Academy doctor Bevin McCartan, club physician Sarah Lindsay and Andreas Schlumberger - the head of recovery and performance - have assumed Moxon's duties since his exit.
Liverpool have been blighted by injuries of late, as they've won just four of their 11 Premier League fixtures this season. Luis Diaz, Joel Matip, Naby Keita, Ibrahima Konate, Darwin Nunez, Thiago Alcantara, Arthur Melo and Diogo Jota are all currently absent.
Liverpool have also been without the likes of Alex Oxalde-Chamberlain, Curtis Jones, Andy Robertson, Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold at times this season due to injury. As such, it's imperative they find a new doctor as soon as possible.
According to the Liverpool ECHO, the Reds are after the best possible candidate. There is still no timescale set on an appointment, yet it's believed they are mindful that any external appointment would likely need to serve a notice period at their current employers.
There's also a chance Liverpool could promote from within. Moxon was an academy doctor before he was promoted in the summer of 2020 after impressing during the early months of the Covid pandemic and his predecessor Andy Massey left the Merseyside club.
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In total, 19 Liverpool players have missed at least one game this season due to a fitness issue. Jurgen Klopp's side endured a gruelling 2021/22 campaign, as they played 63 games after winning the FA Cup and EFL Cup and reaching the Champions League final.
If they reach those three finals again this year, they will have played 64 games this season - including the Community Shield in July. The World Cup is also starting next month, which could add another seven games on to players' schedules.
There were also internationals played in September, with more scheduled in March and June. There's a chance that some Liverpool stars could play more than 70 games for club and country this season - such is the demand on the modern footballer.
Jota (calf), Arthur (thigh) and Diaz (knee) will not play again until after the World Cup, but Keita is expected to return to fitness soon after picking up a muscle injury in August. Matip (calf) may play again before the international tournament starts in November.
"Good, everything is going well, but he needs a bit of time," said Klopp on Matip. "I think with him it will be tight until the World Cup break, hopefully the last two or three games he might be in contention, but I don't know yet. It is all going in the right direction."
On Nunez, Klopp said: "Darwin should be back [for Ajax on Wednesday], this game [the 1-0 defeat to Nottingham Forest on Saturday] was just too early. I think another day recovery would have helped him, but we played today."
