Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has conceded that Joe Gomez may require surgery on a fractured leg.
Gomez has been on the sidelines since picking up the injury in December, but the immediate decision was to allow the fracture to heal without an operation.
Klopp, however, has admitted that Gomez's recovery is not progressing 'exactly how the club want' and the central defender could now require surgery to fix the issue.
"I don't know. We will see. It is possible, probably," Klopp told reporters. "It is not exactly going how we want, that's how it is. He needs more time. We will see exactly how we do it. There were different moments when we thought we could do this or that. It will take time. We can not say more."
Gomez, who has been unable to train for almost two months, has made 18 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool this season.
The 21-year-old was unable to take part in the 2018 World Cup for England following an ankle operation.