Alexis Mac Allister had heavy strapping on his leg and had to leave the pitch before the hour mark at Sheffield United, and Jurgen Klopp had some positive news to share.

The Argentine was expected by many to be named on the bench for the trip to Bramall Lane, with Saturday’s visit to Crystal Palace viewed as the best one of the two to start.

But he started in the left-sided No. 8 role and it took only three minutes for him to go down in a heavy challenge with William Osula, with the big concern over his knee.

.

Mac Allister stayed on but with noticeable discomfort, and he was hit with another knock 10 minutes into the second half and by 60 minutes he could not continue any longer.

He was playing with heavy strapping on his left knee, which he iced after being replaced by Curtis Jones, but his smile at full-time hinted at all being well.

Post-mach, Klopp gave a brief update on the No. 10, saying: “Macca, a shame [that] early he got a cut and as long as the wound was open, we just strapped it.

“It was painful, but he could play. We stitched it and then it got a bit tighter there, and he couldn’t move anymore.

“We have to see how long that will take. I hope not too long.”

.

The midfielder does not have much time to rest and recuperate, even though it is the best news we could ask for, given that the journey to Palace is in less than 72 hours.

When Klopp makes his selections for the early Saturday kickoff, he will be considering that, and Wataru Endo might start his fourth league game of the year as a result.

At the same time, Klopp also confirmed that centre-back Joel Matip has suffered a ruptured ACL. The defender played in the weekend’s 4-3 win over Fulham and will be on the sidelines for a long time. Klopp added: “Matip’s anterior cruciate ligament was torn. It’s unfortunate. It’s not what I expected.”