Liverpool Transfer News: Rodgers Searching for Defender after Long-Term Injury to Coates

Liverpool are in the market for a defender following the long-term injury to Sebastian Coates. While playing for Uruguay against Japan, the defender tore his anterior cruciate ligament, ruling him out for most of the season. In recent times, Liverpool players - Lucas Leiva and Martin Kelly, have suffered similar injuries.

"I feel for big Seba because he's obviously played the latter part of the game and picked up a similar injury to what Martin [Kelly] had last year," Rodgers told Liverpool's official website.

"It's probably going to rule him out for most of the season, which is disappointing for him," he continued. "He's never given me a minute's problem since he's been here and this was probably a year where he needed to go out and play. Unfortunately that will put an end to that.

The injury will force Rodgers into the transfer market to strengthen a position where the club fell short of.

"It's something that we're looking at, certainly, a player to come in in that position," the Northern Irish manager explained. "It's to strengthen the squad but also to allow some of our younger players to develop."

"Over the course of the summer, we have been very ambitious in our attempts to try to get in players to improve the team," he added. "Some might say too ambitious but this is Liverpool Football Club, we are trying to get the best players that we possibly can. If we can't get them in, we just have to move on."

The manager still hopes that the club can add to its playing staff in the remaining time of this window.

"We've got 11 days to go, we have to do everything we possibly can," he said. "It hasn't changed; if you're going to climb the league, you have to have quality and you have to get the best players you possibly can into your club to help you climb. That's our aim."

Liverpool have missed out on Willian, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Diego Costa this summer. Thy did manage to bring in Iago Aspas, Luis Alberto, Kolo Toure and Simon Mignolet early on.

"Of course if you don't get the player you want, there's always that initial disappointment but you can't dwell on it," Rodgers explained. "There's still a chunk of the window left.

"We've done some business early on in the window, which was very good. Now if we can finish off in these remaining days and get some players in that can help us, it would end a very good window for us."