Jurgen Klopp rules Liverpool duo out of contention to face Leicester on Monday

Posted by

Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that two Liverpool players won’t be fit in time to feature against Leicester on Monday night.

Bobby Firmino has been out of action since the 6-1 win at Leeds in mid-April, while Naby Keita hasn’t played since the goalless draw at Crystal Palace in late February.

The duo will again be missing for the Reds’ third-last game of the Premier League season, with the manager stating in his pre-match press conference on Friday morning (via Liverpool Echo): “They are not in team training.

“Bobby looked nearly there but not [available for] the weekend. [He will be in] team training after the Leicester game. And Naby, no.”

READ MORE: (Video) Thiago Alcantara spotted emerging from hospital on crutches

READ MORE: ‘The pressure will be on…’ – Paul Merson drops ominous prediction for Liverpool’s top 4 hopes

With both Firmino and Keita seeing their contracts expire next month (Transfermarkt), and the former already confirming that he’ll be leaving Liverpool at the end of this season, that leaves only two more matches in which they could possibly feature for the club.

It’d be a shame if neither of them get to have at least one more appearance for the Reds so that the Kop can show their appreciation for what they’ve given to the club in their time on Merseyside.

The home clash against Aston Villa on Saturday week is the final game at Anfield before they depart, so supporters will fervently hope that the duo will be fit enough by then to play a part that day, although the ongoing pursuit of a top-four finish leaves Klopp with no room for selection by sentiment.

For Keita in particular, his time at Liverpool has been blighted by a succession of injuries, enduring no fewer than 18 separate spells on the sidelines in his five years with the Reds (Transfermarkt).

Let’s hope that, for the two players’ sake individually and also for that of the team, they haven’t already played their final games in a red shirt.

You can view Klopp’s pre-Leicester press conference in full below, via Liverpool FC on YouTube:

📚 EOTK Insider: The two-time gold medalist who is the only man to sign for Liverpool and Everton on two separate occasions

More Stories Bobby Firmino Jürgen Klopp Leicester Liverpool Naby Keita