Liverpool have had several injury issues over the last few months and now with the Premier League returning, we’re sharing all the latest updates on the squad’s fitness.
The Reds are back in action this weekend after the final international break of the campaign, and it will be a huge final few months for Jurgen Klopp and his squad, with a tight Premier League title race and the opportunity to win another European trophy in the Europa League.
Liverpool will host Brighton and Hove Albion at Anfield in their Premier League clash on Sunday afternoon, and nothing short of three points will be acceptable to set the tone for the final ten fixtures and stay as close to both Manchester City and Arsenal in the race to win the title.
Whilst it would be a fairytale ending for Klopp’s tenure on the red side of Merseyside to win multiple trophies, there are many obstacles left to overcome and the current injury crisis is one of the biggest problems that Liverpool face.
International break would’ve brought hope that a fortnight of rest would get players back up to match fitness ready for Brighton and for the huge league clash with Manchester United next weekend at Old Trafford, however, there have been some setbacks over the last few days and weeks.
Indeed, a full breakdown of injuries and return dates will likely come from Jurgen Klopp’s press conference on Friday morning, but there have been some media reports this week that have given updates on several player’s situations.
What’s the latest on Liverpool’s injury crisis?
First and foremost, Andy Robertson has seemingly picked up a new injury issue whilst representing Scotland in the international friendlies this week.
The left-back was forced off the pitch at Hampden Park on Tuesday evening, which will be massively frustrating for the Liverpool boss as Robertson had just returned from a lengthy spell on the sidelines after suffering a shoulder injury late last year whilst on international duty.
Scotland manager Steve Clarke has revealed on Robertson’s condition:
“He’s just come off the pitch, let the injury take its course,”
“He’ll go back to his club and they’ll assess it and hopefully it’s not too serious.”
Star striker Darwin Nunez did not make the trip to represent Uruguay during the international break after suffering a hamstring injury in the FA Cup defeat at Old Trafford.
At time of writing, there is no indication as to whether Nunez will or won’t be available for selection this weekend, however, it is highly likely Klopp will address that situation on the popular player during his press conference tomorrow.
Trent Alexander-Arnold has been out of action for several weeks now after sustaining a knee injury in early February and was not available for selection for England’s friendlies against Brazil and Belgium.
However, there has been some positive news on the right-back’s return as trusted Liverpool correspondent for The Times, Paul Joyce, has claimed that Alexander-Arnold could be available for selection for the mid-week clash with Sheffield United on April 4th, which means he would be ready to start against Manchester United on April 7th.
Alisson Becker is another superstar who has become part of the injury crisis for Liverpool, the Brazilian keeper has been missing since the defeat to Arsenal in the first week of February, a huge loss to the starting eleven.
In a conversation with supporters at the AXA training ground yesterday, Klopp gave a behind the scenes update on Alisson’s potential return date:
“Ali, another two-and-a-half, three weeks,” he revealed.
Curtis Jones, Joel Matip, Thiago Alcantara and Diogo Jota are all also out of action at the moment with no timeframe confirmed on their returns, however, more should become clear when Klopp speaks to the media on Good Friday.
With that being said, Klopp will be hoping he can get the majority of his first team stars back on track as soon as possible with important games coming thick and fast as further injury issues could hinder chances to add even more silverware to the collection this season.
