Liverpool's fight for a top four spot took a setback on Tuesday as it was announced that Adam Lallana will be ruled out for a month with a thigh injury.

The midfielder will miss a number of key games, including Saturday's Merseyside derby, whilst sidelined, and it's now up to Jürgen Klopp to find a replacement for a player who has become a consistent starter in the Liverpool team.

Although Lallana hasn't struck the heights of his early season form since the turn of the year, with no goals or assists in 10 games, he has maintained his position in the line-up, a tough one for Klopp to fill. How does he do it?

Bring the captain back in

Whilst Lallana has been used as the most advanced member of a three man midfield this season, Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson has often been found at the deepest role of the three, until a recent injury which saw Emre Can come in and perform well in his place.

Now, with Henderson ready to return and Can worthy of keeping his place, Lallana's position could be a perfect one for the captain, with his excellent third-man runs capable of replacing the touch Lallana showed so often in the Autumn, coming in from deep to finish off attacking moves.

Henderson also replaces Lallana's pressing capabilities to a solid degree, whilst having the influential midfielder back would also be a huge boost for the Reds as they go into an important derby. However, his fitness is questioned with no playing time in the last few weeks, leaving Klopp likely to look at alternatives.

A touch of youth?

Now this certainly would be a gamble. Klopp showed that he's not afraid to throw youth in over experience when selecting Trent Alexander-Arnold at Old Trafford earlier in the season, but that was at full-back. Putting either Arnold, or Ben Woodburn, in central-midfield in a derby would be seen as a massive gamble.

Despite having come by his first-team minutes at full-back, Alexander-Arnold build his reputation as an exciting youngster in midfield, although in a deeper role than Lallana plays.

Woodburn has found playing time with the first team on the wings so far this season, but would seen a somewhat natural replacement in terms of having a creative figure at the top of the midfield three.

Still, the chances of either prospect getting a run out from the start seem tiny, but they could be viable options for upcoming games.

Move the front three around

In Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho, Klopp already has two flexible members of his side that start in the front three, but could move back into Lallana's position.

Although both will be fatigued after their international exploits with Brazil, they're both set to start against Everton and will of course play a key role in upcoming games.

Some Liverpool fans have grown frustrated with Firmino's lack of clinical ability in his striking role, and would prefer to see him in the number 10 role anyway, potentially with a formation change to a 4-2-3-1. He's Liverpool's best presser and an excellent chance creator, meaning Lallana's role may be a more natural one to him than he's in currently.

If you move Firmino, you've got to move someone into a striking role, paving the way for Divock Origi to come back into the team. Despite having netted five-in-five during a hot spell earlier this term, many have criticised him for wasting other opportunities, but a run of games could give the Belgian a chance to return to the form that could fire Liverpool into a Champions League spot.

Alternatively, you could move Coutinho back a little to a deeper role where he excelled in during the 2013-14 season, albeit in a different formation. This seems likelier as Klopp likes using Firmino as his central striker, meaning Origi would then probably come in on the left, unless Alberto Moreno could somehow convince his manager to give him a more attacking berth down the left flank.

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