Jurgen Klopp rubbished rumours that Thiago Alcantara could be out for the season with injury, confirming that the 30-year-old is expected to return to rehab at the start of the next week.
This update comes via Echo journalist Paul Gorst in a tweet, with the Spaniard struggling still with an ongoing hip concern.
The Merseysiders are already a midfielder down with Naby Keita having linked up with the Guinean national side for the AFCON tournament alongside fellow Africans Mo Salah and Sadio Mane.
With two semi-final Carabao Cup ties with Arsenal coming up in January, Klopp will undoubtedly be keen to have his tempo-setting maestro back in action as quickly as possible.
Fans will hope that the FA Cup squad selected to face Shrewsbury was not a solid indication of the state of our midfield options, as skipper Jordan Henderson was missing from both starting-XI and bench.
Of course, the return of Curtis Jones will have provided a much-welcome selection boost for what will undoubtedly prove to be a tricky period of the season to navigate without three first-team stars.