Liverpool midfielder, Harvey Elliot suffered a dislocated ankle in a match against Leeds United where Liverpool triumphed with a 3-0 win.
The 18-year-old Harvey Elliot who started in his third successive league game was caught by the Leeds defender near the halfway line. The severity of the incident was immediately made apparent when Mo Salah, the closest player to him, frantically signaled for medical attention before turning away in anguish.
As Elliot received treatment on the pitch, referee Craig Pawson issued a straight red card to Struijk who had come on as a first-half substitute for the injured Diego Llorente.
According to commentator Martin Tyler, Elliott had been due to come off just before the injury occurred with Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson waiting on the touchline to replace him.
“It’s a bad injury,” an emotional Klopp confirmed afterwards. “[His] ankle, I heard, was dislocated. We could put it back. He’s now in the hospital.”
“We have to wait obviously. He played again an incredible game, he’s an incredible player. Now, he’s out. Do I want such a young boy to have this experience that early in his career? No, but now it’s the case and we have to be there and we will be there. So we will play football without him but we will wait for him as well because obviously, he’s a top, top, top player.
“I saw the situation immediately and I saw the effect as I could see his foot was not in the right place. That’s why we were all shocked.”
“I couldn’t care less (if it was a red card). It’s not my business. It is a serious injury, definitely for an 18-year-old boy. The red card is not important. Two or three weeks he [Struijk] can play on, Harvey will not.”
Klopp was furious when it happened and remonstrated with the referee on the pitch, as well as Leeds fans sat behind him in the dugout. As the gravity of the situation became apparent, supporters around the ground applauded Elliott as he was carried off to receive further treatment.
“It’s not a good one, players who saw it originally have walked away in shock, said former defender Gary Neville on commentary for Sky Sports. “The most important thing is the boy is ok but I’m not sure it’s a red card. We’re watching it up here but we can’t show it. The red card is a result of the injury rather than the tackle.”
Meanwhile, drawing from reports, the Premier League have confirmed that Struijk was shown a red card due for “serious foul play due to the intensity of the challenge and endangerment to Elliott”.
Promisingly, Elliott was pictured clapping the fans as he was led away on the stretcher.