Thiago stat is depressing for Liverpool as sad breakup nears

One Thiago stat stands above all for Liverpool as he nears an exit from Anfield. It's certainly not a happy one.

Liverpool were rocked once again this week as Thiago was ruled out with an injury. The Spaniard made his first appearance of the season at the Emirates against Arsenal on Sunday but he couldn't come out of it unscathed.

“It’s a muscle issue, we don’t know the extent yet," said Jurgen Klopp during the week. "We have to wait there a little bit, but it’s not cool, of course.

"It was really not good news for him, for us, for everybody. On top of losing the game already and having that is not good."

Klopp did go on to explain that it wasn't a serious injury and that he doesn't expect it to end Thiago's season. But it's still yet another setback - and more time missed for the midfielder.

And as pointed out by TNT Sports, Liverpool are actually more used to coping without Thiago as they are to having him available. He'd missed 102 games through injury since arriving at Anfield by the time his latest was announced and played in just 98.

That's now 103 to 98, with Thiago sitting out the win over Burnley on Saturday.

Unfortunately, it's this stat that will largely sum up Thiago's time at Liverpool - and that's time coming to an end. His contract is up at the end of the season and there's little to no expectation that a new one is on the table.

After all, the Reds have a plethora of young, talented midfielders who will only improve over the coming years. Thiago, at the other end of his career, may never recover his best form.

Hopefully, he does feature again before the end of the season as there's no question that he could contribute greatly in the challenge for honours. But once again, Liverpool will be planning without Thiago for the foreseeable future.