Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will look to strengthen his squad in the summer after admitting lessons have been learned from this campaign.
A potential season-ending knee problem to Sadio Mane is just the latest in a long list of injuries which has shorn Klopp’s side of first-choice players.
Captain Jordan Henderson (foot) and Adam Lallana (thigh) are also currently sidelined while Danny Ings has not played since October because of a serious knee injury.
Playmaker Philippe Coutinho missed almost seven weeks mid-campaign with an ankle problem while centre back Dejan Lovren and striker Daniel Sturridge have both been troubled by a number of niggles.
Those absences have left Liverpool short of back-up quality and nowhere was it more evident than in January when, with Coutinho injured and Mane at the African Nations Cup, the side won just once – against League Two Plymouth – in seven matches.
Klopp was forced to call up several of the Under 23 squad to cope with the demands of a two-legged EFL Cup semi-final and the FA Cup (both of which they exited) as he tried – but failed – to keep their title challenge on track.
But with European football virtually certain for next season, although whether it is the Champions League will depend on whether they can hold onto their top-four place, Klopp knows he needs reinforcements.
‘More players doesn’t mean automatically that you have more options because more players could mean that more players are injured. A few other clubs had this,’ he said.
‘We will show that we learned from this year. We will bring in players, yes, of course; the squad will change in a few positions, yes, of course; we will still have young players in the squad, yes.
‘With the problems we had in January and February, of course it was clear: the injury of Phil in November, Sadio not available in January, Danny Ings not in for a long time, Daniel Sturridge not at 100 per cent and then out.
‘Each team in the world would miss them. Should we have bought another winger? Another striker?
‘Yes, it felt like this in these moments but it gave young boys the opportunity to show themselves.
‘But next year with more games we need to have more options in these positions.’
