Glen Johnson's announcement about his ankle injury on twitter Thursday must have been sweet news to the ears of Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers.
The full-back is not without his critics, but in terms of how he fits into Rodgers' system, there are few who can even come close to providing what Johnson brings to the table.
While there may be better defensive full-backs, there are very few superior attacking ones, and fewer still who can combine both duties as well as the England man. For the way Rodgers likes to set up his team, a player such as Johnson is almost the perfect fit, and right now he is clearly the number one option at the club.
If he's out for any length of time, that is a problem for Rodgers, and he may have to adjust his tactical approach. Liverpool do have other players capable of filling in and doing a job until he returns, but none can do what Johnson does.
Thankfully, the initial prognosis of a possible 10-week absence appears to be wide of the mark, and the club are hopeful he could be back in half that time. His absence would be keenly felt by a Liverpool side that has made such an impressive start to the season and have yet to concede a Premier League goal.
Johnson had been ever-present in a back four that had kept three successive clean sheets, although his own form had been a little up and down. He played well against Stoke, not so well at Villa and then he was outstanding in the win over Manchester United, injuring himself after bravely hurling himself in front of a marauding Patrice Evra.
That was just what you want to see from your defenders; a "Thou shalt not pass" mentality. Yet Johnson is often criticised for a supposed lack of defensive quality.
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