Nathaniel Clyne out for six months

Liverpool defender Nathaniel Clyne will be out of action for approximately 6 months after suffering a cruciate ligament injury against Borussia Dortmund.

The 28-year-old has left the United States where the Reds are currently on tour to head back to Merseyside for surgery after the seriousness of the injury was confirmed by the club’s medical team.

Boss Jürgen Klopp is optimistic that Clyne, who has a year remaining on his contract, will play again this season.

<<– Buy football club shares online in minutes –>>

“What can I say other than how gutted we all are for Clyney,” said the Liverpool manager. “He was training and playing so well – he was in outstanding shape.

“Clearly an injury of this nature isn’t a happy moment for any player, but the silver lining for him is that, according to the medical guys, it’s a straightforward ACL injury. This means fixing it and coming back from it should follow a path that is free from pitfalls and complications.

“At the moment there isn’t much more to say beyond we’ll all support Clyney in whatever way we can and we look forward to seeing him back on the pitch as soon as responsibly possible.

“He is such a sound professional and is naturally very fit and strong, so all these things are in his favour.”

Liverpool had been in talks with several clubs about a possible summer exit and the player was considering a number of options before this setback.