Alexander Isak has sustained a fracture in his left leg and had surgery, Liverpool have confirmed.
The club are yet to outline a timescale on Isak’s recovery but the Sweden striker is expected to be sidelined for at least a few months.
Liverpool said the 26-year-old “successfully underwent surgery” on an “ankle injury that included a fibula fracture”.
Isak came off the bench to score for Arne Slot’s side at Tottenham on Saturday but was injured by a challenge from Micky van de Ven just after getting his shot away for the goal and was unable to continue. He was in visible discomfort and helped off the pitch by medical staff.
The forward, who signed for a Premier League record £125m in the summer, has scored three goals in 16 appearances for Liverpool since making the move from Newcastle in September.
“It’s a huge blow because I think Liverpool were actually one attacker short anyway,” former Liverpool defender Jamie Carragher said on Sky Sports’ Monday Night Football.
“There’s a lot been made about a lot of the challenges in the game from Tottenham players and a lot of them weren’t clever. I put myself in Van de Ven’s position and that’s a challenge I’d probably make.
“He’s trying to block it – it’s just the follow through. I don’t know where else anyone thinks his foot’s going to go. He has to make that challenge. You can’t let the striker just get a shot away in that situation.
“It’s just really bad luck for Isak. It’s probably one of the first glimpses we’ve seen of his real quality in a Liverpool shirt.”
The injury is the latest setback in a difficult period for Isak.
This summer he was left out of the Newcastle squad for their pre-season tour of Asia with what the club described as a “minor thigh injury”, while it was understood he wanted to explore a move away.
He then trained alone at his former club Real Sociedad before eventually joining Liverpool on deadline day.
He made his Reds debut in a Champions League win against Atletico Madrid on 17 September and scored his first goal for the club in a 2-1 win over Southampton but has struggled for form and fitness since.
His first league goal for Slot’s side came at West Ham on 30 November before his strike against Tottenham.
Slot is next due to speak at his press conference on Tuesday morning (09:00 GMT).
