Nathaniel Clyne: Liverpool defender set to miss rest of 2019 with injury

Nathaniel Clyne has featured for Liverpool in pre-season after returning from a loan spell with Bournemouth

Liverpool right-back Nathaniel Clyne will be out for about six months after suffering knee ligament damage during the club's pre-season tour of the United States.

Clyne, 28, was injured during the defeat by Borussia Dortmund last week and has flown home for treatment.

The England player is out of contract next summer and had been linked with a return to former club Crystal Palace.

Reds manager Jurgen Klopp said the team were "gutted" at the news.

"He was training and playing so well - he was in outstanding shape," he added.

"Clearly an injury of this nature isn't a happy moment for any player, but the silver lining for him is that, according to the medical guys, it's a straightforward ACL injury.

"This means fixing it and coming back from it should follow a path that is free from pitfalls and complications."

Liverpool say the defender has a clean tear of his anterior cruciate ligament and expect Clyne to return to fitness in six months - late January 2020.

Clyne joined Liverpool for £12.5m in July 2015 but lost his first-team place to Trent Alexander-Arnold and spent the second half of last season on loan at Bournemouth.