Liverpool midfielder Harvey Elliott has undergone successful surgery on his ankle after sustaining an injury in the club’s 3-0 win over Leeds United at Elland Road.
The 18-year-old suffered a dislocated ankle after he got caught underneath the shin of Leeds centre-back Pascal Struijk in the aftermath of a tackle.
Struijk saw red for the challenge but the Yorkshire club are expected to appeal it.
Elliott was in the starting eleven for the third straight game and had impressed in each match but will now spend a period on the sidelines.
The youngster had done well in pre-season and was proving his worth in front of the fans before the injury.
He was expected to make his UEFA Champions League debut against AC Milan at Anfield on Wednesday night.
Club doctor, Dr Jim Moxon – who, along with first-team physiotherapist Chris Morgan, was first on the pitch to treat the midfielder – explained: “Harvey sustained a fracture-dislocation of his left ankle during the game.
“We were able to reduce the dislocation immediately on the pitch and Harvey had surgery today to repair the fracture and ligaments damaged in the incident. The operation was a success so his comeback starts now.
“We won’t put pressure on him by setting a specific timeframe beyond being able to say with confidence we expect him to feature again later in the season following our rehab programme.”
Harvey Elliott shared a post on his Instagram which said: “Operation was a success! Thank you so much to everyone for your amazing support. The road to recovery starts now. At the end of the storm, there’s a golden sky.”
Elliott will now begin a rehabilitation programme with the Reds’ medical team and while he is expected to return to action later this season, no timescale is being placed upon his comeback.
