Liverpool’s Thiago Alcantara to undergo surgery: how long will he be out for?

Thiago Alcântara is facing another spell on the sidelines. The Liverpool midfielder will undergo surgery to remedy a hip issue and will miss what’s left of the season. Thiago has spent 84 days in the sickbay this season - he missed the start of the campaign with a hamstring injury and was laid low for two months out with a hip flexor muscle tear. After 55 days of treatment, the player’s hip is no better which has forced the club’s medical department to consider surgery as the only solution.

The Spaniard will undergo a minor operation - medical staff will want to take a closer look inside the joint and find out what is causing the problem. No recovery time has been set, but Thiago will likely be out for around six weeks. He will miss the final five games of the season, as Liverpool aim to finish in one of the European berths although it’s looking unlikely they will qualify for the Champions League.

What games will Thiago miss?

The midfielder’s time at Liverpool has been blighted by injury setbacks. Since his £20 million move to Anfield from Bayern Munich in September 2020, Thiago has been sidelined eight times with various ailments affecting his knee, hamstring and calf muscles. He has had problems with his hip before - he was laid low for 37 days with a similar problem last season. His bad fortune and physical issues means he will have missed 64 official games for the Reds in his three seasons with the club.

This season, Thiago has made 28 appearances - 18 of them in the Premier League and featured in the starting XI 22 times. In the two previous seasons, he made a total of 30 and 39 appearances across all competitions.

Strange season

Thiago hasn’t been alone in his fitness struggles - this season has been a particularly unusual one in terms of injuries with several members of the first team squad spending long spells on the sidelines and four requiring a trip to the operating table (Ramsay, Luis Díaz, Arthur and Thiago). Only six players have been available throughout - Alisson, Adrián, Harvey Elliott, Salah and Gakpo.

Liverpool go into tonight’s game against Fulham in fifth on 56 points, seven behind fourth-placed Manchester United who have a game in hand.