Thiago Alcantara Ruled Out for Season With Hip Injury

Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images

The veteran midfielder will require surgery, ruling him out for the final weeks of the 2022-23 season.

Liverpool’s difficult 2022-23 has just five games remaining and the Reds likely need to win out to have a shot at the top four, an already unlikely task that got harder with news that Thiago Alcantara will miss the rest of the season with a hip injury that requires surgery.

It’s the latest setback for a player who for all his other talents has always carried something of a reputation for being injury-prone, the kind of talent who would add quality to any lineup in the world of football but is also seemingly certain to spend significant time sidelined.

In the autumn, a hamstring injury kept him out for a month and six games, while in the new year a hip flexor issue meant ten games and two months out of action. He missed Sunday’s wild 4-3 win against Tottenham, with the nature of the injury not disclosed at that time.

When fit, though, his contributions have been key to whatever success this Liverpool side have managed this season so far, and his 28 total appearances and nearly 2,000 minutes of playing time might well reflect a fair expectation for his involvement in any season.

With a contract running through 2024, Thiago will likely have a key role to play again next season—even if to be successful the club will have to recruit and rebuild in midfield with the understanding that 40+ appearances and 3,500+ minutes will never be on the cards.