Jürgen Klopp has admitted that he, his backroom staff and the Liverpool squad are all "gutted" for striker Danny Ings after he suffered another long-term injury.

The 24-year-old's season looks set to be over before it has even really begun, with surgery on a knee cartilage problem ruling him out for between seven to nine months.

The injury, sustained in just his third appearance of the campaign in last week's EFL Cup win over Tottenham Hotspur, is to Ings' right knee after he spent much of last season sidelined with an anterior cruciate ligament rupture on his left.

Ings had to wait until the final day of the campaign to first kick a ball competitively under Klopp and had since spent the summer building up his fitness, enjoying a fruitful spell with the Under-23s to get back to full sharpness.

But he has been dealt a devastating blow with his season over, and Klopp admits that Ings is not the only one deeply disappointed by the news.

Klopp: Ings has the personality to come back strongly

The Reds boss told Liverpoolfc.com: "To say we are gutted would be an understatement. He's such a great boy and has worked so hard that he deserves better luck than this."

He said that it is "typical" of Ings' "personality" both "on and off the pitch" that this latest setback came "when courageously trying to win the ball back for his team."

However, the German hoped that the "same personality" will mean that Ings can "come back as good and as strong" as he "has done in the past."

He acknowledged that the England international's lay-off could be almost three-quarters of a year but insisted that because he is "mentally strong" and "physically strong" and will have "the very best treatment and rehab possible" then he can make a good recovery.

Klopp said that the club will do their utmost to ensure the former Burnley frontman returns "ready to play for us at the level we know he is capable of."

Ings is thought to be understandably devastated by the news, having worked so hard to get back to sharpness. His cameo off the bench against Spurs was his third run-out of the campaign, and he received an excellent ovation from the Anfield crowd.

But his hopes of featuring more regularly under Klopp have now been dashed, having undergone surgery on Wednesday in London that will keep him out for the forseeable future.