Liverpool suffer massive injury blow with midfielder set to miss the rest of 2022 - Report

Liverpool midfielder Arthur Melo, who is currently on a season-long loan from Juventus, is set to undergo surgery for a thigh injury, ruling him out of action for up to three to four months.

Arthur, 26, joined the Reds from Juventus on a temporary deal on the deadline day of the summer transfer window to rejuvenate his stagnated career. The Merseyside outfit paid a loan fee in the region of £4 million for the Brazilian with an option to buy for £32 million next summer.

Known for his passing and dribbling, Arthur arrived at Liverpool with a severe lack of match sharpness after being frozen out at Juventus. He embarked on a fitness regime at his new club and featured in only 13 minutes of action as a second-half substitute in his team's 4-1 UEFA Champions League defeat at Napoli on 7 September.

According to The Athletic, Arthur is set to be sidelined for the rest of the calendar year after aggravating a muscular injury in training on Monday. After further assessment, the club's medical staff has decided that surgery is the best course of action for the injury-prone midfielder.

Earlier last month, the former Barcelona man was put on an intensive conditioning program to regain his fitness. He also spent the recent international break training with the Under-21s and started two matches for them in Premier League 2 and the EFL Trophy.

The Reds opted to sign Arthur earlier this summer to address their injury-stricken midfield. However, he is set to join Naby Keita, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Curtis Jones on their road to recovery. Thiago Alcantara and Jordan Henderson were also out injured earlier.

Liverpool are currently 10th in the 2022-23 Premier League standings with 10 points from seven games. The club are next scheduled to lock horns with Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium on Sunday (9 October).

Liverpool's Fabinho warns Arsenal with bold claim ahead of Premier League clash

Speaking on the club's website, Liverpool midfielder Fabinho shared his thoughts about the Reds' upcoming trip to north London:

"The Emirates is a nice place to play, and Arsenal, of course, are in a really good moment right now, playing really well, winning their games, top of the league. It's a good opportunity for us as well to show that we are Liverpool, we are still one of the best teams in this league."

He continued:

"So yes, it's a good opportunity for us to get the three points and to close the gap on these teams as well. This is a winning team. The last season was really good, we played all the competitions until the end and we won two. This shows what this team is capable of doing."