FABIO AURELIO admits the loss of Jamie Carragher will be a big blow to Liverpool as they seek to bounce back from a disappointing defeat at Tottenham Hotspur.

With skipper Steven Gerrard sidelined for a further three weeks with a hamstring tear sustained on England duty, Anfield manager Roy Hodgson is likely to be without their vice-captain for a month after he sustained a suspected dislocated shoulder at White Hart Lane on Sunday.

Carragher underwent a further assessment at the club’s Melwood training ground yesterday to ascertain the extent of the damage.

And with Daniel Agger still recovering from a calf problem it leaves only Martin Skrtel – a scorer at both ends against Tottenham – and Sotirios Kyrgiakos as the only two fit senior centre-backs.

“We don’t know yet how bad Carra’s injury is but not having him in the team will be a really big blow for us,” said Aurelio.

“We just hope it’s not too serious and he’s back playing for us soon became he’s so important for us.”

Aurelio came on as a second-half substitute as Liverpool conceded an injury-time winner at Tottenham, which was a significant blow to confidence after a much-improved away performance.

But there are more difficult times ahead on the road after the Merseysiders were drawn against arch-rivals Manchester United at Old Trafford in the third round of the FA Cup.

The Brazilian knows that despite their display at White Hart Lane the team cannot afford to squander chances as they did when 1-0 against Tottenham.

“If you look at the opportunities we had in both halves there were some very good ones but we didn’t take them,” said Aurelio.