Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has broken his foot in training and is likely to be out for up to eight weeks.
The 25-year-old England international suffered the injury to his right foot on Friday and is expected to undergo surgery on Monday, which will keep him sidelined for the next two months.
Henderson sustained the injury in one of his first sessions back in action after he had returned from the US earlier in the week following treatment on a heel injury. The two injuries are believed to be unrelated — the heel injury was on the other foot to the one broken in training.
He was in contention for Sunday’s game with Norwich. The games he will miss include Everton on October 4th and Chelsea on October 31st.
Henderson, who has featured just twice for Liverpool this season, is also unlikely to feature in England’s final Euro 2016 qualifiers against Estonia and Lithuania, and November’s friendlies with Spain and France.
Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers, meanwhile, wants to see his side taking more risks in attack as they bid to remedy their goalscoring problem.
The Reds have netted only three times in their opening five Premier League games this season but will be hoping for a considerable boost to the tally on Sunday when they host Norwich, against whom they have notched 21 goals in their past five meetings.
And even with a fresh injury blow for club captain Henderson Rodgers is hopeful his side can respond in the desired fashion.
And Rodgers said ahead of the contest at Anfield: “It is about risk-taking.
“I think, for some reason, that wee bit of risk has gone out of our game.
“We need to ensure we take those risks in order to create in the game and bring that intensity to it.
“The players have been working really hard at that over the last week or so and it only takes that one performance to spin the season around again.”
Liverpool — with seven points so far, the same as newly-promoted Norwich — go into Sunday’s match having lost their previous two league games, 3-0 to West Ham and then 3-1 at Manchester United.
In terms of risk-taking, Rodgers may well be thinking of the kind of individual moments of daring that saw Christian Benteke score acrobatically at Old Trafford - or Adam Lallana nutmeg an opponent before slotting in during Thursday's 1-1 Europa League draw at Bordeaux.
Rodgers has expressed his confidence about things improving for the Reds as various personnel become available again, with Daniel Sturridge and Joe Allen in contention to make their comebacks from injury on Sunday.
Henderson, though, has broken a bone in his right foot in training on Friday — just as he was due to return from a heel problem.
Lallana himself was returning to action on Thursday after a month sidelined by a thigh problem, and Rodgers afterwards hailed the midfielder’s “outstanding” goal, adding: “It was his touch and creativity which we have not seen so much of this season.”
And as he looked ahead to the Norwich game, Rodgers said of Lallana: “I think when he’s played he has been excellent and if he plays consistently over a period of time, Adam will reach the numbers that we would like from him — I think it is only injuries that have curbed that so far.
“His goal on Thursday will be great for his confidence. He has not been training that long, so to come through 90 minutes of a game at that level and score the goal he did shows he has got his eye back in very early and he will be looking to push on now.”
Liverpool also have key playmaker Philippe Coutinho available again after he missed the United defeat due to a one-match suspension.
Defender Kolo Toure is being assessed having sustained a dead leg in the Bordeaux contest.
