Crouch out for three weeks

PETER CROUCH has been ruled out for up to three weeks after a scan on the hamstring injury that forced him out of Liverpool’s Champions League success over FBK Kaunas.

The £7million striker will miss next week’s third qualifying round first leg and the start of the Premiership campaign, although he is suspended for the first two games anyway. With the Arsenal match on August 27 postponed because of the European Super Cup, Crouch may have to wait until September 10 to make his Premiership debut.

But Rafael Benitez will hope to have him back for the second leg of the qualifier on August 23. “The partnership between Crouch and Cisse was working well. We’ve Cisse’s pace and the alternative qualities of Crouch,” Benitez said.