Jurgen Klopp has labelled Diogo Jota as a ‘tough cookie’ and has explained how the Liverpool squad will wait for the Portugal International to return from injury ‘like a good wife waits for her husband in prison’.
The former Wolves forward picked up a calf injury late on during our 1-0 defeat of Manchester City last weekend and will miss out on the Qatar World Cup in what is a devastating blow for the 25-year-old.
Our No. 20 has already missed part of the campaign with a hamstring injury and Klopp was therefore keen to explain that he and his players will offer as much support to Jota as possible as he begins his rehab.
“He’s an incredibly tough cookie, to be honest, it’s unbelievable,” the boss told Liverpoolfc.com.
“When I saw him yesterday on crutches and he wanted to shake my hand, I had to give him a hug. I said, ‘It’s more for me than for you, to be honest’ because it’s a shame, the whole thing: how it happened, that it happened, when it happened, all these kind of things.
“But he is incredibly strong, it’s unbelievable. He is a role model in that. He really takes it like it is: ‘You cannot change it anymore, so let’s work from here.’
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“So yes, we support him as much as we can but we all know, and we were all involved in professional football, especially as a player, how lonesome rehab phases can be anyway because you spend a lot of time at the training ground for your rehab but then all the other time is still long, when you are at home. But we all know with the baby, his missus and the dogs he is in good hands there.
“So, it will take time and we have to give him time but like I said previously in different situations, we will wait for him like a good wife waits for her husband in prison.”
The versatile attacker has five assists in eight appearances for Liverpool this term (across all competitions) and is a hugely popular figure amongst Reds supporters.
His impressive attitude combined with tireless work rate and sharp-shooting means he’s become a vitally important part of Klopp’s squad in recent seasons.
It’s heartbreaking to hear that Jota will be denied the chance of representing his country at the World Cup but with age on his side he can remain upbeat about having the opportunity to do so again in four years time.
We wish him all the best in his recovery and let’s hope when he returns from injury he can help fire us towards more success this term.