Liverpool's Wataru Endo leaves Wembley on crutches

Liverpool midfielder Wataru Endo was spotted leaving Wembley Stadium on crutches after suffering an injury during Sunday's EFL Cup final with Chelsea.

Reds head coach Jurgen Klopp confirmed after his side's 1-0 victory that Ryan Gravenberch had damaged ankle ligaments following a challenge from Chelsea's Moises Caicedo in the first half of the contest.

Endo, meanwhile, was spotted leaving the stadium on crutches, sparking fears that the defensive midfielder could also be set for a spell on the sidelines.

The 31-year-old was able to play the full 120 minutes of the final, but according to journalist Andy Hunter, he suffered a knock to his ankle in a challenge with Caicedo.

Klopp did not address a possible injury for Endo after the match, but the midfielder is now a major doubt for Wednesday's fifth-round contest with Southampton in the FA Cup.

Wataru Endo on crutches with his left foot in a protective boot. #LFC pic.twitter.com/jLxBYnvfrs

— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) February 25, 2024

The Liverpool manager admitted after the clash with Chelsea that he was unsure how he would put a team on the field due to the volume of injuries at the club.

"We don't have a team right now for Wednesday. The guys who came on can maybe play again, the rest will get treatment on Monday," he told Sky Sports News.

"I love this country to bits, but the schedule is not made for winning a lot. We will see the price we have to pay, but we fight for everything then we see what comes next. Somehow against Southampton there will be a team in Liverpool shirts."

Gravenberch and Endo have joined an injury list at Liverpool which also includes Joel Matip, Diogo Jota, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson Becker, Curtis Jones, Darwin Nunez, Mohamed Salah, Dominik Szoboszlai, Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic.

© Reuters

The club's fitness problems allowed the likes of Bobby Clark, Jayden Danns and James McConnell to play roles for Liverpool on Sunday, and club captain Virgil van Dijk, who netted the winner late on, said that he was "so proud" of his teammates.

"All the young boys on the pitch, if you see the extra-time, it's incredible. I'm so proud of the team," Van Dijk told Sky Sports News. "An intense game for both sides, they had chances, we had chances and [it's] amazing. First trophy as the Liverpool captain – it's all for the fans so let's enjoy it.

"You should always savour the good moments and this is definitely one of them. We will never take these things for granted, we are very, very blessed and you see today as well that it could have been the other way, we could have lost.

"But we didn't, we did the job, even with all the problems that we had before the game and during the game – and yeah, I am so proud. I'm always proud to be part of this club but especially proud of the boys. They all played their part so it's all credit to the team."

After facing Southampton in the FA Cup on Wednesday night, Liverpool will switch their attention back to the Premier League, facing a trip to Nottingham Forest on Saturday afternoon.