23 October 2023 , 13:09
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Jurgen Klopp has been warned that he could soon have to solve the 'problem' created by Andy Robertson's injury.
The Scottish left-back has become an ever present in the Liverpool defence, making 275 club appearances since his £8million move from Hull in 2017. But in a hammer blow to the titles hopes of the Reds, the 29-year-old picked up a serious shoulder injury in his country's friendly clash with Spain this month.
He's since had surgery and will be ruled out until 2024. In his absence, Kostas Tsimikas came into the starting XI for the Merseyside derby on Saturday, which the Reds won 2-0 courtesy of Mohamed Salah's second half goals.
But the Greek international endured a difficult afternoon, and was hauled off after 62 minutes in place of Darwin Nunez as Klopp pushed to break the deadlock. It was Joe Gomez who eventually finished the game at left-back, despite usually appearing on the right of the defence.
And former Liverpool captain Sami Hyypia thinks Tsimikas now has a big opportunity ahead of him, but also implied Klopp must move quickly if the 27-year-old doesn't stand up to be counted: "I think he will get a lot of responsibility now and he has his chance to show what kind of player he is," Hyypia said at a Nike Game On initiative.
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"Hopefully he is courageous and takes his chance. If that is not going to work then Jurgen (Klopp) needs to think of something else to solve the problem but I have confidence in Tsimikas that he can do the job."
Kostas Tsimikas in action for Liverpool against Everton (Getty Images)HAVE YOUR SAY! Can Liverpool win the Premier League this season? Comment below.
Tsimikas has made 66 club appearances since arriving at Anfield over three years ago, but many of those appearances have come from the bench or been in cup matches. However, in May 2022 he made himself a hero with the Liverpool faithful, converting the winning penalty in an FA Cup final shootout win over Chelsea.
The Finn himself spent a decade at Liverpool, winning multiple trophies. And although the Premier League title was one major honour to elude him, he's confident the current crop can be in the mix in the closing stages of the campaign.
"The ambition is to win the league," he added. "As long as we are competing until May to be the champions I think we can say we will have had a successful season."