Liverpool forward Andy Carroll, who signed from Newcastle on Monday, is unlikely to play for several weeks because of an existing thigh injury.
The 22-year-old has been sidelined since the Magpies' 2-0 defeat by Tottenham on 28 December.
"He's got a bit of a knock and is probably a few weeks away," said Reds boss Kenny Dalglish.
He also admitted that Carroll, who cost £35m, had found it "a wrench" to leave his hometown club.
Newcastle had sent Carroll to Dubai in the hope of accelerating his recovery with a warm weather break, and the forward had been due to visit a tendon repair specialist in Sweden.
The Gateshead-born attacker, who impressed on his one and only international appearance against France in November, had failed to return to light training as soon as the Tynesiders had hoped.
His injury, combined with the departure of Fernando Torres to Chelsea for £50m, is likely to give Liverpool's second deadline-day signing, striker Luis Suarez, the chance to impress his new fans.
But Dalglish remained philosophical over the wait for Carroll's debut.
"The signing wasn't made to cover a few weeks,"
"He signed for five and a half years and there's a lot of weeks in that time when he'll be fit and playing for us."
Carroll has suggested that he did not want to move, but was told by Newcastle that they would prefer to cash in.
Like Carroll, Dalglish left his hometown club to join the Reds in a record-breaking move when he signed from Celtic as a replacement for the Hamburg-bound Kevin Keegan in 1977.
He went on to eclipse Keegan in Liverpool's fans affections with 339 goals in 515 appearances and he backed Carroll to overcome any doubts about leaving his native north east.
"A very important factor for us is that both players wanted to come here," he said of Suarez and Carroll's signings.
"Leaving Newcastle was a wrench for Andy as a local boy, but if he was going to go anywhere there was only one club he'd want to come to," he stated.
Dalglish insisted that his purchases would help the club consign the prolific Torres to history.
"The football club will appreciate people that have been here and had a go for the club, but it won't dwell on the past," he concluded.
"We'll look forward and look upwards, hopefully. There is no-one, anywhere in the world, at any stage, who is any bigger or any better than this football club."
Despite his current injury, Carroll vowed to start repaying Liverpool's faith in him as soon as possible.
"Goals have always been in my game, so I'm very confident I can score for Liverpool," he said.
"I'll bring as much as I can to the team - I'll score goals, create chances, hold up the ball and just try my best, really.
"What I did at Newcastle has got me here and now I have to carry it on with Liverpool. I want to win trophies with this club and help push us forward."
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