Liverpool right-back Glen Johnson is facing a long injury lay off after tearing his groin during the Reds’ 3-0 defeat to Manchester United on Sunday.
According to James Pearce of Liverpool Echo, the Liverpool defender is set to miss the entire festive period as a result.
Glen Johnson facing a long lay-off after tearing his groin v United. Will miss entire festive schedule. #LFC
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceEcho) December 16, 2014
Johnson has less than a year remaining on his contract and hasn’t been offered a new deal. He expects to stay at Anfield, but it seems increasingly likely that he would leave the club either in January or next summer.
The England international has been below par with his performances for most of the season and had come under strong criticisms from the fans on social media. However, he scored an important goal for the Reds against Stoke City, which was his first goal for Liverpool since October 2012.
We covered Johnson’s contract situation in details:
“First and foremost I want to play for a club that wants me. “It is as simple as that. I have seen stuff in the press that I have been offered half the money I am on. That’s not true. I haven’t been offered anything. We are not speaking [about a contract] at the moment.
“I have enjoyed the majority of my six years here but if I haven’t got a contract, I can’t stay. It does play on your mind but that is when you have to be professional and do your best for the team.”
However, Johnson admits he has no intention of “crawling” before Liverpool hierarchy to secure a new deal. He has not discussed about his future with the Reds manager Brendan Rodgers, nor he wishes to do so.
He added, via Tony Barrett of The Times: “I’m not going to go crawling to anybody. They know where I am and they know the situation. There were minor talks at the end of last season but they were minor talks, nothing that I could accept or reject, just minor talks.”
The injury can come as a blessing in disguise, as Javier Manquillo, the new summer signing on loan from Atletico Madrid, will now get regular game time.
Ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Bournemouth in the League Cup quarter final, Rodgers said he has no other injury issues, although reflected on Balotelli’s groin problems.
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