Liverpool's Curtis Jones facing several more weeks out

Liverpool midfielder Curtis Jones will be out of action for several more weeks after suffering a bizarre eye injury.

The 20-year-old did not feature in Liverpool's previous two matches before the international break, against Atlético Madrid and West Ham. Reds manager Jürgen Klopp confirmed at the time the youngster had sustained an injury in training, describing it as "a finger to the eye". However, ahead of Saturday's home match with Arsenal, Liverpool announced that the academy graduate is facing a longer spell out than initially anticipated.

Curtis Jones' injured eye needs time to heal

"It's a freak injury and very unlucky, but the important thing to emphasise is there is no lasting damage and his vision won't be impacted beyond the recovery period," club doctor Jim Moxon told Liverpool's official website. "However, the nature of the issue means caution is important; we need to allow it time to heal and we can't rush it, therefore it won't be a speedy return. It needs to mend before we are able to reintroduce Curtis to full training, but there are things he can do in the meantime to maintain fitness. We can't put a specific timescale on a return beyond it will be a number of weeks from now as it heals naturally, so it's not one we will risk and patience is a virtue with this specific recovery."

Jones has featured in nine games across all competitions this season, starting six times and helping Liverpool to six victories and three draws. He has scored once and provided three assists from eight chances created in total. Only Mohamed Salah (seven) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (six) have teed up more goals in Liverpool's squad.

Often used on the left side of Klopp's midfield three, Jones has registered a passing accuracy of 91.53 per cent – higher than any other player to have played at least three games across all competitions. His defensive work has also been impressive, with Jones winning five of eight attempted tackles and recording a duel success rate of 53.85 per cent.

Liverpool's busy Christmas schedule

Klopp will be hopeful Jones returns in time for the festive period, as the Premier League approaches its busiest part of the year. After facing Arsenal, Liverpool host Porto and Southampton prior to making the short trip to Goodison Park for the first Merseyside derby of the season.

Liverpool face Tottenham, Leeds United, Leicester City and Chelsea in the league from 19 December to 2 January, while they also take on the Foxes in the EFL Carabao Cup quarter final on 22 December.