Expert issues ‘eight months’ Diogo Jota reveal after new Liverpool twist
Liverpool need to gently ease Diogo Jota back into the first team after enduring an eight-month period of injury struggles.
That is the view of medical expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in injury and data analysis, speaking exclusively to Football Insider.
Jota has not featured for Liverpool since October, when the 26-year-old forward suffered a calf injury during the final minutes of a match against Man City.
The Portugal international also missed the start of the season for the Reds after damaging his hamstring.
Jota is nearing his recovery date after spending months on the sidelines, with his return predicted for late February.
But Dinnery has warned Liverpool that they will need to take extreme caution when reintroducing Jota to the first team, as the nature of his injuries have a high chance of recurrence.
He highlighted the recent signing of Cody Gakpo from PSV Eindhoven as proof that Jota’s return to the side will not be a seamless one.
“Liverpool have to be extremely cautious with this as the injury isn’t in isolation,” Dinnery told Football Insider.
“You have to look at what’s been going on with Diogo Jota now for the last seven or eight months, dating all the way back to that hamstring injury that he picked up playing for Portugal.
“He’s spent a lot of time on the sidelines since and that will be a worry and a concern.
“So Liverpool do need to manage him and integrate him back into the first team very, very carefully because what you don’t want to do is rush him back and worsen it.
“Thankfully, Liverpool have recruited and have quite a bit of strength and depth now across those three forward positions.
“So they are in a position where they can afford to ease Jota back gently.“
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