Allen to go under knife

Liverpool midfielder Joe Allen is to have surgery on a shoulder problem, manager Brendan Rodgers has confirmed.

The Wales international, on the bench for the Premier League match at home to Tottenham having started the 4-0 win at Wigan last week, needs an operation to fix an established injury.

"We made a change with Joe Allen having been struggling since October with his shoulder and he'll probably need an operation," Reds boss Rodgers told Sky Sports.