Jurgen Klopp has doubled down on the clunky metaphors around the absence of Virgil Van Dijk, claiming Liverpool will be like a wife waiting for their husband to be released from prison.
The Dutch defender is facing a lengthy spell out with ACL surgery.
Van Dijk was injured by a tackle from Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford in Saturday's 2-2 draw in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park.
It was confirmed on Monday that Pickford will avoid retrospective punishment for the tackle, but Klopp could not confirm when his talismanic defender will go under the knife.
"That’s all not sorted yet," the manager told Liverpool's website, "A few things are clear, so he now will be out for a while, that’s clear.
"We don’t want to set any timeframe, to be honest, because each player is different and each individual is different and these possible timeframes are always for the x, y, z player [but] Virgil is Virgil and we don’t want to set any timeframe.
“But he will be out for a pretty long time and that’s what the situation is. That’s what we know since… I expected it pretty much on Saturday after the game immediately, especially when I saw the challenge back.
"I saw it the first time only from the bench, and when I saw it back I was pretty clear that he will be out for a long time."
Thiago hasn't yet been ruled out of Wednesday's Champions League meeting with Ajax, despite taking what Klopp described as "a proper knock" in a red card challenge from Richarlison.
Naby Keita could return for the game in Amsterdam, after returning a negative COVID-19 test and being cleared to play again.
Back to Van Dijk, and Klopp says the 29-year old is doing "OK" mentally following the injury.
"It’s always the same, players love to be rather on their own in the moment and to deal in the first moment with it.
"I am long enough in the business to know that. I was injured myself, I had exactly the same injury if I’m right and it’s not then that you are then pretty chatty.
“It all will start but we are in contact, of course, we are in contact. We are there for him, he knows that and we will wait for him like a good wife is waiting when the husband is in jail and will do, meanwhile, all what we can do to make it as easy for him as possible.”
