Liverpool confirm Fabinho out until 2020 in blow to Premier League title chances

The Brazilian sustained ankle ligament damage in the draw with Napoli in midweek, when he was replaced in the first half

Jurgen Klopp has offered a message of hope to worried Liverpool fans, after news that Fabinho is out until the New Year.

The Reds boss admits it is a big blow to his side as they face an intense - and defining - December fixture list.

But he insisted his powerful squad has the resources to deal with the blow, after confirmation the Brazilian suffered ankle ligament damage against Napoli, and will be sidelined for at last a month.

“Oh yes. That's absolutely bad news, nothing good to say about that. The timeframe or how long it will take, we are not 100% sure yet.

“It looks pretty sure he will not be involved in the Christmas fixtures. That takes a while. “It's not cool. we think a lot about it,

“But not in the case now 'oh my God, how can we deal with it?'. It's just 'let's do the right thing for Fab, let's do the right thing for the team' and let's carry on.”

Fabinho has made the holding position his own over the past year, after initially struggling to secure a place even in the Liverpool squad, following his £40m move from Monaco.

Yet Klopp is adamant that while the Brazil international has some unique qualities, he has plenty of options within his squad that are just as good.

And he believes it is an opportunity for another midfielder to step up and grasp the position.

“It's an opportunity for somebody else. That's how it is, always.  We have to find a solution and we will find a solution,” he added.

“In our preparation for the Napoli game, we watched the game last season a bit and Hendo played in that position then.

“Gini played in the position already. Adam Lallana played in the position. We can change system, we can do different things.

“We have options. Will it be exactly like Fabinho? Of course not. When I say nobody is like Fabinho, it is true, we are individuals.

“It's not that they aren't as good as him, it's that they are different, have different qualities.

“For example, Gini came on against Napoli and was brilliant. Last year against Napoli, not only there, Hendo played that position as well, really, really good.

“We just have to make it work. That's always the job.”

Klopp also revealed that Joel Matip underwent a scan on Friday to determined just how much longer he will be out with a knee injury, but the fear within Melwood is that he too could miss the Christmas schedule.