Liverpool team news: Klopp confirms injury blow, 4 players out of Man Utd trip

Liverpool will be looking to move three points clear at the top of the table with a win over Manchester United at Old Trafford on Sunday afternoon.

Ahead of the game, Jurgen Klopp has been speaking to the media at his pre-match press conference this morning and he’s provided a team news and injury update including the latest on the fitness of Dejan Lovren, Joe Gomez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Rhian Brewster.

Lovren hasn’t featured for Liverpool since suffering a hamstring injury during their FA Cup defeat to Wolverhampton Wanderers in early January and has been forced to miss the last six games in all competitions.

The 29-year-old sat out the 0-0 draw with Bayern Munich in the Champions League in midweek and Klopp has confirmed the Croatian international won’t be ready to return for the trip to Man Utd on Sunday.

Lovren will therefore remain on the sidelines along with fellow defender Gomez as the youngster continues to work his way back to full fitness following a troublesome fractured leg that’s kept him out since December.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has been stepping-up his recovery from a serious knee ligament injury by taking part in full training this month but the midfielder is still not fit enough to make his return to the squad.

Brewster is the only other Liverpool absentee for the Man Utd game as the young teenage striker is also still working his way back to full fitness in training following a serious ankle injury.

Klopp told Liverpoolfc.com:

“Dejan is not in, Joe is not in, but I think pretty much all the rest are in training at least.

“Rhian Brewster is still only in little parts [of training], Ox in bigger parts but not ready to play. The rest have trained and will train with us, but there is still a little bit of time.

“Usually now I get the message that somebody is ill in the last three weeks, so I am still a bit nervous about that! But until now I didn’t hear anything.”

It will be a blow for Liverpool to be without Lovren this weekend but thankfully for the Merseysiders Virgil van Dijk will return from suspension so the Dutchman will line-up alongside Joel Matip in the middle of the back four.

Liverpool head to Old Trafford sitting level on points with Man City at the top of the table but with Pep Guardiola’s side playing in the Carabao Cup final this weekend, Klopp’s men can go three points clear with a win over Man Utd on Sunday.