Klopp's nightmare: Henderson might be sidelined for the rest of the season

Reigning Premier League champions team captain Jordan Henderson has undergone a successful operation to repair an adductor issue that will enable him to play again this season.

Klopp is now without the five senior players who have played central defence for him this season – Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez, Joel Matip, Fabinho and Henderson – and one of the decisions he has to make whether to use newcomers Ozan Kabak and Ben Davies as the center defense duo at Bramall Lane on Sunday.

Liverpool's skipper injured his groin during last Saturday's 2-0 defeat to Everton, pulling up sharply after he had been pursuing a ball with Abdoulaye Doucoure. He attempted to play on but found it impossible. Henderson was scanned on Monday to determine the extent of the damage. The results showed there was no rupture to his tendons – had that been the case, he would have been facing a lengthy lay-off – but there was enough of a problem for surgery to be an option.

There was an option for Henderson to try to recover without having a procedure but after discussions with the club's medical staff and a London-based consultant, the 30-year-old had the operation on Thursday. Liverpool have reported that there were no complications and Henderson can now begin his rehabilitation program. There had been reports that his place in England's squad for Euro 2020 was in jeopardy but that was never the case.

Klopp - from magician to flop

It is expected that Henderson will be absent for a minimum of six weeks – it could go as far as eight weeks – but there is no doubt he will be playing again for the final stage of the campaign to assist Liverpool's challenge for a top-four spot.

This is still a huge blow for Jurgen Klopp, as Henderson will miss crucial Premier League fixtures against Sheffield United, Chelsea, Fulham, Wolves and Arsenal, along with the second leg of the Champions League last-16 tie against RB Leipzig. If Henderson's recovery goes to the top end of the rehabilitation and stretches to two months, it would also effectively rule him out of the Champions League quarter-finals, not to mention England's three World Cup qualifiers against San Marino, Poland and Albania.