Jurgen Klopp has spoken about the injury sustained to Yasser Larouci in the pre-season encounter against Sevilla on Sunday night at Fenway Park in Boston.
The 18 year-old left-back who has impressed many with his play in the pre-season was hacked down by Joris Gnagnon in the 80th minute of the encounter, which saw the Algerian youngster carried off on a stretcher and Gnagnon rightly given a straight red card.
After the game, the always straight-talking James Milner did not miss his target when he spoke to LFCTV.
"Was it too much? I thought so yes, it was a disgraceful tackle.
"We know it's only a friendly, but I mean, you don't see many red cards in friendlies, do you?
"It is a tough one for the referee because you don't want to use red cards in a lot in friendlies and it is a a rare thing to see.
“You don't normally see too many tackles [like Gnagnon's] but it is a disgrace really."
For his part, the Frenchman issued a groveling apology after the game on social media.
“I want to publicly apologise to Liverpool, the player’s family and fans.
"It was an odious act on my part that had no place on the football pitch. All my prayers are with the player and his family.”
On happier news, the manager reported that Larouci may have escaped serious injury.
ESPN reported Klopp as saying:
"It looks like he was lucky but, of course, how it always is with these things we have to wait a little bit.
"He [Gnagnon] hit him full throttle and, in that moment, [if it was] a little bit different position where he hit him, then it's done.
"I don't know 100 percent. It looks like he was lucky, but I only spoke quickly to the [doctor] and that's what he said, but but we have to see.
"Yasser couldn't keep on playing, so that's the first not-so-good sign, but in the dressing room it was OK.
Klopp gave a update on one of his other youngsters who suffered a injury in this bruising encounter.
"Harry Wilson got a knock on his jaw and a finger in his eye, so not too cool. He should be OK as well but couldn't carry on as well.
"That's the situation."
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