Jota ruled out of Liverpool run-in as Klopp reveals injury blow

 

Diogo Jota will not play again this season due to a foot injury, dealing a blow to Liverpool's hopes of stringing together three more wins.

Diogo Jota will miss the rest of Liverpool's season after suffering a foot injury in the win at Manchester United on Thursday.

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp announced the setback on Sunday, ahead of the Premier League match at West Brom.

Klopp told Sky Sports: "No good thing without a bad thing – so, we won at Manchester United but Diogo got something with the bone. Not too serious but serious enough to end the season. That's it."

The blow comes as Liverpool scramble for the wins that would lift them into the Champions League places.

Ahead of the West Brom game, Liverpool remained firmly in the hunt, sitting third, with Chelsea and FA Cup winners Leicester City in their sights.

Jota, who joined from Wolves in September, has endured an injury marred campaign, with a knee problem keeping him out from December until March.

He has played 18 league games, starting on 12 occasions, and has nine goals in the competition, at a rate of one every 123.56 minutes.

That is a better minutes-per-goal rate than Mohamed Salah (133.76), Sadio Mane (282.33) and Roberto Firmino (323.63) have achieved.

Jota scored Liverpool's first goal in the 4-2 victory at Old Trafford, with Firmino then netting twice and Salah adding a late fourth.

However, Jota was substituted in the 74th minute. He will hope to be fit for Portugal's Euro 2020 campaign, as the 2016 winners defend their title, starting in a tough group featuring Hungary, France and Germany.