Jurgen Klopp has provided a detailed injury update, with Thiago expected back in Liverpool training next week, but Naby Keita still “out for a while.”
The start of Liverpool’s Premier League campaign has been thwarted by an extensive injury list, with a suspension for Darwin Nunez also limiting their options in attack.
Jordan Henderson was the latest to pick up a problem, after limping off with a hamstring injury in Liverpool’s win over Newcastle on Wednesday.
Klopp says the club are yet to find out the extent of the injury, but the Reds will be without their captain for Saturday’s Merseyside derby.
There was, however, some positive news on the progress of Diogo Jota and Thiago, who are expected to return to action sooner rather than later.
After returning from suspension, Klopp will be able to call upon Nunez against Everton on Saturday, and has now revealed that Jota could also feature, having been ruled out since the recurrence of a hamstring injury in pre-season.
“Diogo will probably be in as well,” Klopp revealed.
“He trained yesterday with the team for the first time. He will train today and we have to make a decision if it makes sense to incline him already or not.
“If we do, it’s the first time we have five attackers, it feels like Christmas! We will make changes, we will see.”
The Reds boss went on to reveal that Thiago, who has been absent since picking up a hamstring injury of his own against Fulham last month, should return to training early next week.
“Thiago is the closest from all of them,” he continued.
“I think the start of next week he can be in team training.”
There was less positive news on Naby Keita and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, who are still expected to be sidelined “for a while” due to muscle injuries.
“It’s a muscle injury, yeah,” Klopp said on Keita.
“Ox is a muscle injury and they will be out for a while.”
Elsewhere, new signing Calvin Ramsay is closing in on a return having yet to feature since his summer arrival from Aberdeen, with Klopp explaining that the youngster has been struggling with a back problem.
“Calvin Ramsay is still out but really getting closer and closer.
“For him it was something in his back, something to do with his age and growing and these kind of things. He didn’t train properly with us yet, but he gets closer.”
The last player Klopp had an update on was Ibrahima Konate, with the Frenchman unavailable since sustaining an injury in the Reds’ final game of pre-season against Strasbourg.
“Ibou is not too far away. In and around the international break, he will be back in training,” Klopp said.
Mixed news, then, but Liverpool’s squad is certainly looking in better shape than it was last month, ahead of a hectic fixture schedule before the international break.
