LIVERPOOL -- Jurgen Klopp has said that Danny Ings' surgery on a season-ending knee injury was a success and insists the striker will "100 percent" be a Liverpool player when he returns.
The former Burnley striker underwent a procedure in London on Wednesday to repair cartilage damage in his right knee and is expected to be out for between seven and nine months.
It is another devastating blow for Ings who was injured for the majority of last season after tearing his left ACL in Oct. 2015, just days after Klopp took charge of Liverpool.
Klopp on @IngsDanny's injury: "The surgery was positive. Danny will be back and will be a #LFC player, 100 per cent." #LIVWAT pic.twitter.com/H07396LOJx
- Liverpool FC (@LFC) November 4, 2016
"It's not a nice story of course, it's the complete opposite," Klopp told a news conference at Melwood on Friday morning. "But it's an important story because everybody who knows Ingsy likes him -- I've never heard something bad about him.
"The only problem he had was that he had a really bad injury and he needed time to come back in shape. In the last two weeks everybody could see 'OK, now he's back.' And then this happened, it's not nice but it's part of football.
"From yesterday on, it's already a positive story because the surgery was very positive and rehab started already. The most important thing to say -- and that's the moment when the club and the team really have to show how strong we are -- is we will wait for him.
"We will give him all the time he needs and then he will be back again and he will be a Liverpool player, 100 percent. That's the only thing we are working on from this moment on."
The 24-year-old had only made two appearances for Liverpool this season -- both as a substitute in the EFL Cup -- but had been flourishing for the under-23 side, scoring seven goals.
"The team reacted like everybody would react when something bad happens to a friend," Klopp added. "But, meanwhile, we want to show that we involve him.
"He was very, very close in the last few weeks to the team. He already helped us in each session on his way back. Everything will be good in the end but now it's time to work on the comeback."
Meanwhile, the Reds boss says there are no serious injury concerns ahead of Sunday's Premier League meeting with Watford at Anfield.