Liverpool star Endo leaves Carabao Cup final on crutches in fresh injury blow

26 February 2024 , 07:34

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Liverpool star Endo leaves Carabao Cup final on crutches in fresh injury blow

Liverpool 's injury crisis has worsened after Carabao Cup final star Wataru Endo was spotted leaving Wembley on crutches.

Endo, 31, was instrumental to the Reds' 1-0 extra-time victory over Chelsea on Sunday, courtesy of a 118th-minute header from Virgil van Dijk. The Japanese midfielder and Van Dijk were by far Liverpool's most experienced players left on the pitch during the closing stages, as manager Jurgen Klopp only had youngsters to bring on due to the Reds suffering a raft of injuries in recent weeks.

But Endo's monstrous display came at a cost, as after Liverpool's dressing-room celebrations, their £16million signing was seen hobbling through the mixed zone on crutches. The Reds had already been dealt yet another injury blow midway through the first half, as midfielder Ryan Gravenberch was forced off following an unsavoury challenge from Moises Caicedo.

Endo is now expected to join Gravenberch on the sidelines, accompanied by Mohamed Salah, Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Darwin Nunez, Dominik Szoboszlai, Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones, Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic and Joel Matip.

The severity of Liverpool's injury crisis led Klopp to hail Sunday's win as 'easily the most special trophy he's ever won'. The Reds boss was full of praise for his young guns but also had time to laud Endo, who Liverpool only opted from German side Stuttgart after missing out on both Romeo Lavia and Caicedo to Chelsea.

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Klopp has previously gone on record to say that the Reds were "lucky" to end up with the Japan international, who he believes has developed well over the course of his first season at Anfield and has plenty more to offer in the years to come. "A good development, huh? Yeah, I said it a couple of times we were lucky," Klopp reiterated post-match.

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"We bring him in and obviously Wataru, "I'm pretty sure in three [or] four years Wataru will sign another long-term contract at Liverpool just because he might be 30 or 31 on his passport but he's not. He's a machine. He is footballing-wise exceptional. His defensive brain is outstanding. He gives us a lot of freedom for a lot of things. Yeah, top development. Very helpful, very helpful."

While the Liverpool manager is yet to comment on Endo's injury, Klopp did tell Sky Sports regarding Gravenberch: "I hope it's not that bad. They did an X-ray, so it's not broken but the ligaments got something and that's how it is."

Nathan Ridley