Reds lose García until summer

Misses Barcelona reunion
The confirmation of García's injury compounds a miserable few days for Liverpool whose embarrassing 6-3 home defeat by Arsenal in the English League Cup quarter-final followed a 3-1 FA Cup exit against the same opponents last Saturday. "Unfortunately we expect to be without Luis for six months," said Liverpool head of press Ian Cotton of the Spanish international, who has scored three goals in five UEFA Champions League appearances this term and would have relished the prospect of facing former club FC Barcelona in the first knockout round next month.

González fears ease
The only good news for Liverpool manager Rafael Benítez is that the injury Mark González sustained in the same match is not as bad as first feared. The Chilean international winger also left the field on a stretcher but he should be back in action in three weeks' time, meaning he is in no danger of missing the first leg against Barcelona in Spain on 21 February. A scan today revealed severe severe soft tissue bruising and bruising to the bone of his right shin.