Liverpool fear Sadio Mane's knee injury could be far worse than first suggested

He limped out of the Merseyside derby on Saturday

Sadio Mane opened the scoring in the 228th Merseyside derby, only to later leave injured (Getty)

Liverpool look set to be without Sadio Mane for much of the season run-in with it understood that the Senegal forward is facing being out for a lengthy period of time with a knee injury.

Mane limped out of the 3-1 victory over Everton in the Merseyside derby at Anfield on Saturday after opening the scoring, but was removed just before the hour mark.

He fell awkwardly after a collision with Leighton Baines and, after treatment, was unable to put any weight on the knee in question.

Manager Jurgen Klopp played down the injury after the game, suggesting Mane may only miss Wednesday’s clash with Bournemouth, while the striker himself said he felt “okay”.

However, due to the swelling around the knee, the true extent of Mane’s injury is yet to be confirmed and, while it is not believed to be a cruciate ligament injury, medical staff are getting more and more concerned that he will be out for several weeks.

Liverpool suffered a dreadful plummet in form in January when Mane missed seven matches while at the Africa Cup of Nations, winning only once, and with only eight games remaining there are fears that his absence could have a similar effect in the chase for the top four.

The injury compound Klopp’s selection headache having already lost captain Jordan Henderson Adam Lallana and Daniel Sturridge for varying periods of time.