Liverpool captain Steven Gerrard will not play again this season, manager Kenny Dalglish has admitted.
Gerrard has been on the sidelines since undergoing groin surgery last month, but was set to return in the Premier League defeat to West Brom last weekend.
However, the 30-year-old suffered a setback in training the day before the game and Reds boss Dalglish has now confirmed his skipper is likely to miss the last seven games of the season, which will be a major blow to Liverpool who are still in the hunt for a European place.
He said: “We still don't know definitively what the problem is, so we will wait until we get a precise answer from the people he has been to see.
“But he will not be involved again this season, so that's Steven as well for this season.
“It's a blow to have anybody out, but it's more disappointing for the players than it is for us. We just have to get on with it.
“Without being disrespectful to the players who are injured, the most important ones are the ones who are fit because they're the ones who can be chosen.
“At this particular moment in time, I'm as good a player as Steven!”
The news comes mere days after defender Daniel Agger was ruled out of the run-in with a knee injury, while Glen Johnson is facing a month out with a hamstring problem.