Jordan Henderson hobbles off with muscle injury in Merseyside derby

Liverpool's injury curse continued in the Merseyside derby on Saturday, as captain Jordan Henderson was forced to leave the field in the first half with a suspected groin injury.

The 30-year-old went down in severe pain during the clash with Everton, and after initially trying to play on, he had to be substituted and replaced by Nat Phillips.

The incident occurred as the derby approached the half-hour mark, when Henderson charged up the pitch with the ball at his feet. The England international suddenly pulled up in pain and dropped to the floor.

The physio came onto the pitch but Henderson appeared to be prepared to soldier on, and even returned to action. However, it quickly became apparent that he was in no fit condition to continue playing, and he had to admit defeat and leave the field.

Jurgen Klopp could only laugh with frustration on the touchline as he saw another of his key stars fall to an injury. The German is already dealing without starting centre-back partners Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez, who have been ruled out for extended periods of time with knee injuries.

Backup defender Joel Matip has also been sidelined for the rest of the season, meaning Liverpool are being forced to delve deep into their resources to find some central cover. Klopp has had to dip into the transfer market this winter, signing two brand new centre-backs to help resolve the issue, but Ben Davies has suffered his own fitness issues since arriving at Anfield.

Henderson has acted as a centre-back for a number of weeks now, but he could be out for a while if he has suffered a pulled muscle.

The Reds will have to wait for their captain to undergo any necessary checks to evaluate how many games he may miss in their busy schedule.