Glen Johnson Injury: Updates on Liverpool Star's Status and Return

Updates from Sunday, Feb. 23

Liverpool confirmed Glen Johnson is fit to play today:

Updates from Friday, Feb. 21

Glen Johnson is back in Brendan Rodgers' squad for Swansea's visit to Anfield this weekend.

The Liverpool Echo's James Pearce noted from Friday's press conference:

Liverpool's official Twitter feed posted the following image on Friday:

The Mirror's David Anderson had earlier wrote:

Glen Johnson is set to return for Liverpool and hand England boss Roy Hodgson a welcome World Cup boost.

Johnson has trained all week at Melwood and Brendan Rodgers is expected to include him in the Reds' squad for Sunday's home game against Swansea.

Updates from Friday, Feb. 14

Brendan Rodgers does not expect Glen Johnson to return for Liverpool in Sunday's FA Cup tie at Arsenal.

James Pearce of the Liverpool Echo provided the update:

Updates from Feb. 11

James Pearce of Liverpool Echo provides a statement from Brendan Rodgers discussing Glen Johnson's injury status:

“Glen and Daniel have come back into training, which is brilliant for us,” Rodgers told the ECHO.

“We will see how they go between now and Wednesday. They certainly look very strong in training.

“Whether the midweek game is going to be too soon for them, we will see. But it’s great to have them back and see their qualities.”

 

Updates from Friday, Jan. 31

There remains no timeline on the recovery of Glen Johnson, although Brendan Rodgers did speak positively of his right-back ahead of Liverpool's trip to West Brom.

The club's official website provides the update:

Glen is working really well. There's no timeline on that yet, but he's certainly working very hard with the medical team, so that's coming along well.

Updates from Friday, Jan. 24

Fears are growing over Glen Johnson's World Cup prospects after reports suggested he may miss a large chunk of the season due to the ankle problem revealed by Brendan Rodgers.

Dominic King of the Daily Mail reports:

Glen Johnson's place in England’s World Cup squad has been plunged into doubt after the Liverpool defender was ruled out for an ‘indefinite’ period.

Brendan Rodgers, Liverpool’s manager, admitted on Thursday that Johnson had reached a point where he could not continue with the physical problems he has been nursing recently.

It appears likely that Johnson will need surgery on both his ankle and groin. If so, his hopes of travelling to Brazil this summer would be in jeopardy, given Roy Hodgson will be naming his squad in four months’ time.

---Original Text---

Liverpool defender Glen Johnson is set for a spell on the sidelines through injury.

The club confirmed the news via their official Twitter account:

Ian Herbert, a journalist for The Independent, also reported the injury:

It leaves Rodgers' options in defence increasingly short. First-choice left-back Jose Enrique hasn't played since November due to injury. The loss of Johnson therefore means the inexperienced duo of Jon Flanagan and Martin Kelly, 21 and 23 respectively, will be in contention for a regular, first-team spot.

Fellow youngster Andre Wisdom has played first-team football under Rodgers before, and he was loaned to Derby to continue his development, where he has impressed. An option to recall the England under-21 player could be investigated.

Rodgers has already had issues at centre-back with Daniel Agger missing parts of the season through injury. Meanwhile, Martin Skrtel's form has fluctuated, and veteran Kolo Toure—brought in as cover—has played more than expected.

Tiago Ilori joined Granada on loan this week, while Sebastian Coates has been linked with a move away after failing to break through, per Dominic King of the Daily Mail Online.

This leaves Rodgers with a defensive headache and could see him enter the transfer market in order to find a short-term solution.

Liverpool were linked with Chelsea defender Ryan Bertrand before the player joined Aston Villa, with Jose Mourinho reportedly having reservations about loaning a player to a rival, per John Cross of Mirror Football.

As reported by Jack Wilson of The Daily Star, the Reds also look to have missed out on Barcelona right-back Martin Montoya, although that situation could potentially be revisited in light of Johnson's injury.

If suitable reinforcements are not found, it could hit Liverpool's hopes of finishing in the top four and qualifying for the Champions League.

The club face Bournemouth in the FA Cup fourth round on Saturday before tough games against Everton and Arsenal in two of their next three Premier League fixtures, which could go some way to deciding if the club are capable of making next season's Champions League.

The majority of Liverpool's transfer business has been focused on attacking reinforcements this month, although Rodgers might be forced to rethink that approach after another defensive setback.