Liverpool alter Anfield advertising boards after serious Noa Lang thumb injury

Liverpool have made modifications to the advertising hoardings at Anfield following the serious thumb injury suffered by Galatasaray’s Noa Lang last month.

Tuesday’s Champions League quarter-final second leg against Paris Saint-Germain will be the first European game the stadium has hosted since the Netherlands international was hurt on March 18.

Lang lacerated his right thumb after colliding with the hoardings at the Anfield Road end of the ground during the closing stages of Liverpool’s 4-1 victory on aggregate. After a lengthy delay, the 26-year-old was taken off on a stretcher and underwent emergency surgery at Whiston Hospital, and it was later confirmed he had avoided his thumb being amputated.

Liverpool and UEFA both vowed to investigate the incident with safety officials working to establish how Lang’s thumb had become jammed between two panels. UEFA said it would be “reviewing the pitchside set-up, including LED boards at all upcoming matches, to identify any potential comparable risks and ask clubs to take appropriate measures if necessary”.

Before Tuesday’s game against PSG, who boast a 2-0 lead from the first leg, work has been carried out at Anfield to modify some of the boards around the goal areas which have an impact gap in the event of a player hitting them. Liverpool believe what happened to Lang was a freak accident and that the changes should help ensure there is no repeat in the future.

The Athletic has approached UEFA for further comment.

Lang, who joined Galatasaray on loan from Italian club Napoli in January, was able to join up with the Netherlands squad during the March international break but did not feature in their friendlies against Norway or Ecuador. However, the injury did not rule him out of any club matches as he returned to Turkish Super League action against Trabzonspor on April 4.

Speaking to Dutch outlet Ziggo Sport last month, Lang said: “I still have it (my thumb) completely, that’s the most important thing.

“I just can’t play PlayStation for a while, but that will come. Luckily, I only need my legs to be able to play football.”