Daniel Sturridge will miss the start of next season after undergoing hip surgery.
Sturridge had surgery in New York on Tuesday and Liverpool is confident the repair will fix several underlying issues behind his poor fitness record.
It will be four months before the 25-year-old can resume full training and with his pre-season effectively beginning in early September, it could be mid-to-late October before Sturridge is available for Brendan Rodgers’ team again.
The extent of Sturridge’s latest lay-off is unlikely to change the Liverpool manager’s transfer plans.
The former Manchester City and Chelsea striker, who signed a new five-year contract worth up to £140,000-a-week in October, damaged a thigh muscle while training with England in September, tore a calf muscle on his return to full training with Liverpool, suffered a second thigh strain in November and then the hip injury.