Liverpool manager, Jurgen Klopp, has confirmed to the media that his young midfielder Marko Grujic is in hospital and is currently being observed and treated for what seems to be a concussion. The 20-year-old collided with Chelsea's Bertrand Traore towards the end of the first half.
Grujic - who was otherwise having a good game for the Merseyside club - is worrying his manager with not being able to recollect a lot of recent events. Speaking to the press post the game, Klopp – who was worried how rough the game was – said, “In general the biggest problem for me is that Marko Grujic is in hospital.”
“He can’t remember anything. That’s not too cool for a young boy in this situation.
“Injuries happen in pre-season. It can happen. It’s unlucky but it’s not too good for us.”
Apart from Grujic, Liverpool's new signing Ragnar Klavan was also victim to a rough tackle by Chelsea's Cesc Fabregas – who was subsequently sent off. “It was just a knock for Klavan. I think he will be okay," said Klopp.
“It was a normal intensity with a few hard challenges,” he added, discussing the game. The players are not in 100% shape so sometimes they can be a bit late with their challenges. That’s how it is."
Given these worries, Klopp was, however, optimistic about another one of his new signings Joel Matip – who was sidelined with an ankle injury.
“Matip will be ready for the start of the season,” Klopp said. “In the first two and a half weeks of pre-season he was really good. Now he’s been out for a week.
“He trained today so hopefully, he will be back in team training soon.”
Liverpool lost their game 1-0 to Chelsea thanks to a Gary Cahill goal from a corner. The Merseyside club suffered plenty of times last season by conceding goals from set pieces. Klopp has a little less than three weeks to ensure his team can prepare for teams that prepare especially to hit them in dead ball situations.