Shakhtar Donetsk coach Mircea Lucescu has confirmed an injury suffered by Alex Teixeira shortly after reports emerged of a bid from Liverpool for the Brazilian's services.
Speculation in the British media suggested Liverpool had tabled an offer for the 26-year-old, who has previously been linked with the likes of Chelsea, Paris Saint-Germain and Juventus during recent months.
The former Vasco da Gama man has scored 22 goals in 15 league appearances this season and missed Shakhtar's Florida Cup defeat to Corinthians on Wednesday.
The game took place shortly after Liverpool are said to have made a bid and Lucescu told reporters after the game: "Teixeira was injured during yesterday's morning session. I decided to rest him."
The injury has been reported as a possible hamstring issue - a complaint that currently sees Philippe Coutinho, Dejan Lovren, Martin Skrtel and Daniel Sturridge all sidelined for Jurgen Klopp.
Divock Origi, Danny Ings and Joe Gomez are also out of action at Anfield due to knee injuries.
‘Sir Gary Lineker? I don’t know how you comment on that – I’ve never even considered it. I just try to stand up for the things I believe in’ England legend tells FFT why he won’t stop raising humanitarian issues, even if it affects potential honours
'I fell on the floor and shouted for a penalty. Someone pulled me up and said, "Don’t cheat to win penalties". It was Steve McManaman. I never did it again!' Ex-Liverpool forward reveals harsh lesson he learnt from his team-mate on Reds debut
