Kevin Stewart ruled out for the rest of the season as Allan Rodrigues faces another season on loan

Liverpool midfielder Kevin Stewart has been ruled out for the rest of the season after he underwent a hernia operation on Friday (21 April).

The 23-year-old midfielder made nine appearances for the first-team under Jurgen Klopp, but his last outing was the FA Cup third round game against Plymouth. Stewart has been a regular for the Liverpool Under-23 side.

According to the Liverpool Echo, the Reds midfielder will not play again this season after going under the knife. The report even suggested that he could have played his last game for Liverpool as he faces an uncertain future at the club. Stewart has a contract until the summer of 2021, but has failed to force his way into Klopp's first-team, and with the German manager likely to strengthen in the summer, Stewart could be allowed to leave.

The former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder has made just nine appearances this season, and if Klopp does make additions in midfield, it could further limit his chances. Stewart will be keen to play regular football and could also seek a move away.

The Reds midfielder will not be short of suitors with as many as five clubs from the Premier League and the Championship having showed interest in signing him during the January transfer window. The Merseyside club reportedly values the midfielder at around £12m ($14.7m) and could cash in if the aforementioned clubs show interest again in the summer.

Meanwhile, Liverpool are struggling to gain a work permit for Brazilian midfielder Allan Rodrigues de Souza, who signed from Internacional last summer and are facing the prospect of sending him out on loan again next season.

The Reds are hoping to send Rodrigues back to Hertha Berlin, where he is currently on a season-long loan. He has made 11 appearances in the Bundesliga and recently garnered praise from the German club's general manager Michael Preetz for his performances during their 1-0 win over Wolfsburg last weekend.

"Allan played well. What is striking is that he never hides and always wants the ball, including in periods when he's not having the best time out there," Preetz said, as quoted by the Liverpool Echo.

"He makes a case for himself with performance like on Saturday."