Wirtz forced off early and could miss crucial fixtures for Liverpool

The 23-year-old attacking midfielder was forced off prematurely in Sunday's 2-0 Premier League win over Brighton. He is now a major doubt for Wednesday's Carabao Cup round of 16 tie against Chelsea, as well as Sunday's blockbuster league encounter with reigning champions Arsenal.

Wirtz suffered an ankle knock in a challenge and was replaced by Trey Nyoni in the 65th minute. However, Liverpool manager Andoni Iraola remains hopeful the issue is not serious. "Unfortunately, 'Flo' had to come off because he slightly twisted his ankle. It doesn't look like anything too bad, but we are playing every three days, so we'll have to see how he is," Iraola said.

According to an announcement by Liverpool on Monday, Wirtz is scheduled to undergo further assessments with the club's medical team.

The player himself also struck an optimistic note. "We haven't done any scans yet. I don't think it's anything serious. I've twisted my ankle a few times in recent weeks. I need to get it under control," Wirtz told Sky. The report was provided by DPA.