Albert Sambi Lokonga picked up a new injury in Luton Town’s defeat to Liverpool on Wednesday, after receiving praise from Jurgen Klopp ahead of the game.

Up until a little before the halfway mark in Luton Town’s match against Liverpool on Wednesday night, Arsenal loanee Albert Sambi Lokonga was having a fantastic week.

Lokonga was on a great run of individual form, and he’d drawn a lot of praise for his most recent performance against Manchester United.

Even Jurgen Klopp got in on the act, suggesting it was a bit odd that Arsenal hadn’t kept Lokonga around.

“When you see Albert Sambi-Lokonga playing and you think… oh! He’s an Arsenal player and they loaned him? Interesting,” Klopp said in his pre-match press conference.

Lokonga started against Liverpool on Wednesday, and his team took a 1-0 lead at Anfield. But just before half-time, injury struck.

As Luton headed for the tunnel at the half-time whistle, Lokonga could be seen holding his hamstring and speaking to the medical staff. He was substituted during the break, and Luton conceded four goals to lose 4-1.

Lokonga spent much of the early part of the season out of action with a hamstring problem, but Rob Edwards is hopeful this one won’t be as bad.

“I’m not sure if it’s the same, he’s just feeling it,” Edwards said. “Lower hamstring, so in the end it was the right thing to do to take him out.

“He wasn’t comfortable to carry on, so I really hope he’s okay, and we’ll have to see. Sambi has been brilliant, we’re asking our lads to do a lot of work and run hard at the moment, and all the time.”

Lokonga missed two-and-a-half months with his last hamstring injury, and he’ll want to be back in action a lot sooner this time around.

From an Arsenal perspective, it would be great if the midfielder could be back before the end of March, with games against Tottenham Hotspur and Manchester City in the space of a fortnight.

Luton also face Arsenal in that same fortnight, but Lokonga will be ineligible for that match whether he’s fit or not.