Liverpool assistant coach Pepp Lindes provided an update on the injuries of Nabi Keita, James Milner, Thiago and Fabinho
Nabi Keita was carried off a stretcher against Manchester United as Paul Pogba saw red in a tackle against a Liverpool midfielder
According to Liverpool assistant Pepp Linders, Nabi Keita suffered a bruise after Paul Pogba's tackle, but fortunately the injury was no more serious.
Pogba was sent off with a direct red card in United's 5-0 loss to Liverpool after he had a VAR review of Keita's tackle, which ketta left the pitch on a stretcher.
Ahead of Liverpool's league cup fourth round at Preston, Lindes said: "I think we should talk about VAR because in my opinion, protecting the players after what happened there, looking back, it was a major advantage.
"We always discuss, sometimes we complain about the referee or the performance of the VAR, but that's why it exists to protect our players.
"That's what I really like. It was a bad tackle, but luckily Nabi's foot didn't hit the ground. Just bruises, which could have been worse if his feet were on the grass. We will accept it day in and day out, but the abrasions are certainly painful. ”
"Assistant" Milner was absent from the international match day
Linds also provided an update on james Milner's injury, which injured his hamstring at Old Trafford.
"Millie felt his hamstrings getting tighter and tighter, but then [Mason] Greenwood went off the line and he [Milner] always put the team above himself and sprinted when he knew he wasn't right to stop the counter-attack," Lindez said.
"It speaks volumes about his willpower and how he always puts the team first and that's when the big injury comes. It looks like he's going to wait until the next international match day.
James Milner was forced to leave at Old Trafford with a hamstring injury
"We've talked to him and he plays a very important role. My title is assistant manager, but you can also give that title to James Milner because he's the link between the teams – he's very outspoken and sets the bar. ”
Lindez added: "Thiago is still unable to play, but it is going well on the pitch. Brighton may be close, but it probably won't. He's coming back and that's very important for us. ”
"We are evaluating Fabinho every day, he is not excluded from the weekend, but he is excluded from tomorrow."
Former Premier League referee Demot Gallagher looked at three incidents at Old Trafford and considered whether Cristiano Ronaldo should have Paul Pogba on the pitch.
When Pogba was sent off, Gallagher said: "It was absolutely the right decision. Because of his position on the pitch, the referee thought it was a yellow card, but when you saw it coming back, Pogba clearly crossed the ball, arrived from a distance and came into contact with Keita's stud earrings, and when you came from a distance, you gathered strength.
"The fact that Keita had to leave the pitch on a stretcher shows how bad his tackles were and pogba was right to be sent off.