Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has confirmed Thiago Alcantara will miss their Premier League clash against Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium on Sunday.
While Klopp will be happy with the fact that there aren’t any fresh injury worries following Tuesday’s stunning 5-0 win over Atalanta, he still cannot use Thiago for this game as it seems the Spaniard will need more recovery time to get back to full fitness.
The former Bayern Munich midfielder suffered a nasty injury during the Merseyside derby last month and he hasn’t featured since. Ahead of the trip to City, the Liverpool boss has confirmed that although Thiago doesn’t need surgery, he will require more time to recover fully. However, the good news is that he is improving and it won’t be long before he gets back on the pitch.
Klopp told Liverpoolfc.com about the latest on Thiago:
“And with Thiago, that’s how it is. It’s an injury but doesn’t need a surgery, all these kind of things but still takes time.
“The challenge that day was a harsh one and directly against the leg, so still adapting but improving. It will not be too long anymore but for this game I don’t think he will be in.”
The Reds boss has also provided an update on midfield duo Fabinho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. Both are recovering well but neither of them has returned to full training yet.
On Fabinho and Oxlade-Chamberlain, Klopp added:
“Doing well, that’s how it is with the boys. Especially Oxlade, it takes time but looks really good, but takes time – everybody knows that.”
Virgil van Dijk, of course, is facing a lengthy spell on the sidelines after undergoing surgery on a knee ligament injury and no timeframe has been given as to when he’ll return to action.
The likes of Joel Matip, Naby Keita and Kostas Tsimikas all returned to the matchday squad for Liverpool’s 5-0 Champions League win over Atalanta on Tuesday so should be in contention to face City.
There were concerns over the fitness of Diogo Jota – who took a slight knock during the fixture in Italy – but Klopp has allayed fears by stating the hat-trick hero has been training fully with the rest of the team.
Klopp added on Jota and the returning trio:
“They are all in training, so that’s really good. Nobody mentioned Diogo to me. Yesterday was second day recovery, he was involved. So that looked fine.”
Losing Thiago for this game is a massive loss for Liverpool and it means Klopp will be without at least four first team players for their trip to Etihad this weekend as the champions look to maintain their place at the top of the table.
