Liverpool dealt major injury blow ahead of West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur fixtures as 11-goal star ruled out

Liverpool will be without key striker Roberto Firmino for next week’s visit to West Ham United as well as their home game with Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield the following Sunday.

Firmino has 11 goals in all competitions for the Reds this season, as well as five assists. He started October’s match against the Hammers as Liverpool recorded a 1-0 win at Anfield and featured when Spurs lost to 2-1 to Jurgen Klopp’s side in November.

He has come off the bench in Liverpool’s last two games, scoring the equaliser in the 2-2 with Arsenal and playing just under 10 minutes as the Reds hammered Leeds 6-1 on Monday night.

Liverpool face Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon and Klopp confirmed Firmino would not be available to take part in the fixture, as well as ruling him out of next week’s games against the two London clubs.

Klopp said on Friday: “Unfortunately, Bobby picked up a muscle issue. We’ll see how long it takes. Not too serious but is definitely out for tomorrow and next week we have two more games and I’d say they are impossible. Then we have to take it day by day.”

Liverpool did welcome Luis Diaz back against Leeds and the winger is likely to play a prominent role until the end of the campaign.

Without Firmino, the Reds can still call upon the likes of Darwin Nunez and Cody Gakpo, with Klopp speaking how the Dutchman can learn the number nine role from the Brazilian.

He said: “If you watched international football over the last five, six years as a footballer and you love football, and if you are in a similar role, have a similar job to do in the game and you didn’t pick up anything from Bobby Firmino, that would be a bad decision, to be honest. We play in public, so you can watch all the games.

“I think Bobby in this role is an inspiration for pretty much every player in a similar position, so that’s clear. Cody is 23 years old, he was captain of his former club – I had no clue how that happens that early and then when he arrived here you realise, ‘Ah OK, he’s a super-smart kid, really open and a real team player’ and stuff like this. On top of that, a really good footballer.

“He can play this position, can play wide, can play the centre. The real nine, a bit higher up, he can play that as well; double striker, can play that as well.

“So, he can create his own way there on the position, so it’s not like we have to do it exactly [the same] because nobody can do it like Bobby, because nobody is Bobby. That means you have to find your own way and I think that’s much more important. That’s where Cody is up to.

“I thought Cody, since he’s here, did exceptionally well. We didn’t do that well – that for a new player is super-difficult. It’s super-difficult to come into the team and it’s not clicking. He did really well in that period. And now when we do better then obviously people maybe realise his performances, and that’s it. But from the first day since he’s here, he’s a real joy to work with.”

Gakpo joined Liverpool in January and after a tough start on Merseyside amid some poor form from Liverpool as a whole, he has settled into his role in the Reds frontline.

He recorded a goal and an assist against Leeds as well as scoring twice in the 7-0 win over Man United. He has five goals in total, also scoring against Everton and Newcastle.