Liverpool: 'Big blow' over £41m star impacts Salah at Anfield

Liverpool and Mohamed Salah have been dealt a “big blow” after Diogo Jota‘s injury, says journalist Dean Jones.

Jones feels that the Egyptian forward and the Reds as a whole perform better when Jota is on the pitch.

Jota will miss Liverpool’s game against West Ham at Anfield and is set for a long spell on the sidelines after damaging his calf in the recent 1-0 win versus Manchester City.

On the 25-year-old, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said: “It’s really not good news about Diogo. Yes, he will miss the World Cup. [It’s a] pretty serious injury in the calf muscle and now the recovery process starts.”

The German later went on to add: "He will not be in for a long time; we talk about months. So, we will see. I don’t want to put now a number on it because I always hope in the middle of the rehab there is a very positive development and we can cut days off the rehab phase, but it will be long.”

It is a hugely disappointing development for Jota, who had only recently recovered from a hamstring problem.

From Jones' point of view, Jota now being unavailable for selection is a major setback for Liverpool. In the journalist's opinion, the team and star man Salah perform at a higher level when the Portugal international is in the side.

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, he said: "It's definitely a big blow. I mean, Liverpool are generally better when Jota is around and they had to wait already to get him back in the team this season. I think Salah's better when Jota's around."

Read more: Champions League 2022/23: Fixtures, Draw, Dates, Schedule, Final, Teams and Everything We Know So Far

Thanks to Salah, Liverpool still have a lot of firepower. He has been deadly in the Champions League this season, scoring five goals in four appearances,