Injured Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho out for 5 weeks says Jurgen Klopp

Jurgen Klopp has confirmed Liverpool star Philippe Coutinho will not feature in this calendar year after revealing the playmaker is out until January with ankle ligament damage.

The Brazil international suffered the ankle injury during the Reds' 2-0 win over Sunderland in their last league tie. He was stretchered off the field and was pictured on crutches entering the Spire Liverpool Hospital, where he underwent a scan.

The Liverpool manager admitted that he and his men will be without the services of the former Inter Milan man. Coutinho, along with his compatriot Roberto Firmino and defender Joel Matip missed their EFL Cup win over Leeds United.

Klopp confirmed that Firmino and Daniel Sturridge are suffering calf injuries after his side's 2-0 win over Sunderland. The former Borussia Dortmund manager made eight changes to the starting lineup to face the Championship side and explained the reason behind his decision in making numerous changes.

"Phil needs between five and a few weeks until we have him back. We will see. He is not in for tonight and for the next few games," Klopp told BBC Radio 5 Live, as quoted by Liverpool's official website.

"Roberto [Firmino] couldn't play. The same with Joel Matip and a few other players had all the games until now – we can bring in fresh legs, especially in defence."

"In attack, we have not that number of options anymore but I'm fine with the options we have. So we start with this line-up, we have a strong bench and we want to go to the semis," he noted.

Coutinho's injury will be a massive blow for Liverpool considering as he has been the star player in his side along with compatriot Firmino and Sadio Mane. The 24-year-old scored six goals and created six chances for his teammates in all competitions this season.

With Klopp confirming the playmaker out for five weeks, Coutinho will miss key fixtures during the busy festive period. These include the tie against Everton and Manchester City in the Premier League. Meanwhile, the Reds will be hoping that he returns for their trip to Old Trafford to face Manchester United on 15 January.

Coutinho now joins Adam Lallana, Firmino and Sturridge in the list of injured players at Anfield, along with Danny Ings. The latter is out for the rest of the season as he suffered his second long-term injury.

Klopp earlier confirmed injuries to Lallana, Firmino and Sturridge in his pre-match press conference prior to the Leeds clash.

"Adam Lallana is close to being back in training but he won't be ready. Lallana is in a very good way, close to team training but not ready for Leeds," Klopp explained.

"Sturridge isn't in training and we will have to wait on Firmino. We will have to see how he is after training today. We need to have a look at the players. We need to listen and figure if the players are ready or not. We can't take risks."