Pep Lijnders has given an update on multiple Liverpool players who’ve recently been nursing injuries, with some promising news from Jurgen Klopp’s assistant.
The 40-year-old addressed the media ahead of Wednesday night’s Carabao Cup clash against West Ham when he shared the latest on three first-team members, one of whom could be in line to feature in tomorrow’s quarter-final:
Ryan Gravenberch
The Dutch midfielder went off with a suspected hamstring injury during the goalless draw against Manchester United on Sunday, but the prognosis is far more encouraging.
Lijnders (via LFC official website): “We thought there was really something. He came off during the game and you saw immediately when he came off what that did to the team as well. He was playing really well, especially against these man-marking sides he plays unbelievable.
“He had a scan and it’s only DOMS, which is fatigue, so that’s a really good thing. He will train hopefully today, let’s see where he is. We have to be careful of course because that’s a sign, so that’s a good one.”
Diogo Jota
The Portuguese forward was forced out of the 1-1 draw against Manchester City last month with a muscle injury which has seen him miss the subsequent six matches for Liverpool. He won’t return for tomorrow night but is edging near a return.
Lijnders (via LFC official website): “Diogo is doing ball work on the pitch so that is getting closer and closer, but always with hamstring injuries you have to be careful. We always say when they come back [to] give them another two or three days, for sure.”
Alexis Mac Allister
The Argentina midfielder limped out of the 2-0 win over Sheffield United a fortnight ago with a knee injury, missing three games thus far. He’s unlikely to feature for the rest of the month but could be back in the early weeks of January.
Lijnders: “Alexis is progressing well. He doesn’t have pain anymore, which is a good thing. It was worse than we first thought, but he is progressing well, no pain. Let’s see if we can progress him.” (LFC official website)
Regarding a potential return date: “In the New Year, that is possible, but we play on January 1, so we’ll see.” (Liverpool Echo)
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It’s a big relief to know that Gravenberch’s blow isn’t as severe as first feared and that he could be in contention to play tomorrow night, and it’s also reassuring that Jota seems very close to making his return.
With Mac Allister, realistically the best-case scenario right now appears to be that he might feature against Newcastle on New Year’s Day, or possibly the FA Cup visit to Arsenal on the first weekend of January.
What’s certain is that Klopp will be pining to have all three back as early as possible, with Lijnders sharing the gutting news today that Ben Doak will require surgery on a knee injury.
That lessens Liverpool’s attacking options even further for the West Ham game, and Jota’s return to allow for greater rotation of the forward line can’t come soon enough.
Fingers crossed that, with three more matches in the next seven days, the Reds won’t have anybody else added to the injury list by the time that hectic period is behind us.
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