The Liverpool star has been ruled out of the Christmas period with ankle ligament damage.
Writing in the Mirror, Stan Collymore says he fears Liverpool could suffer without Philippe Coutinho as Tottenham Hotspur did without Harry Kane.
Coutinho has been in fine form for the Reds at the beginning of this season, with five goals and five assists to his name so far.
He will now miss the crucial December period, though, after picking up ankle ligament damage in the recent 2-0 win over Sunderland.
Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho sustains an injury
That is a major blow for the Reds, who will have to find a way to maintain their title challenge without their key man.
Collymore is fearful they won’t be able to, saying Coutinho’s absence could affect Liverpool like Harry Kane’s absence affected Tottenham.
“Liverpool will miss Philippe Coutinho like Tottenham missed Harry Kane and like Chelsea would miss Eden Hazard if he were to get injured,” he told the Mirror.
“He is the Reds’ main man and the driving force behind so much of what they do well.”
“Spurs did all right for the first couple of games Kane was missing, but then they tailed off and I fear that in the Brazil star’s absence Liverpool could suffer the same.”
Liverpool’s Philippe Coutinho
It will certainly be interesting to see how Liverpool cope without the loss of Coutinho in the coming weeks.
He has been integral to their title bid so far and his absence will be the first real challenge of their title credentials.
Should they manage to come through it strongly then they will confirm they are genuine challengers this year, but should they struggle, many will start to doubt that they are in the race for the long haul.
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp
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