Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Alexis Mac Allister is set to return to first-team training soon, and confirmed that Liverpool are being cautious with Thiago Alcantara following a long spell on the sidelines.
Mac Allister has been out of action since suffering a painful knee injury in the Reds‘ recent win over Sheffield United in the Premier League, missing the club’s six most recent games due to the ailment.
Thiago, on the other hand, has yet to play a single minute of football throughout the 2023/24 season due to a hip injury.
Speaking ahead of Liverpool’s clash with Newcastle United on New Year’s Day, Klopp provided injury updates on the midfield pair as well as long-term absentees Andy Robertson and Stefan Bajcetic.
“Macca, we will see what he can do [on Friday] – if he can step into team training or not.
“The decision is not done yet, it’s pretty early and the Doc is not here; or maybe he is here but I didn’t see him yet. So, we will see.”
“I think Thiago will be at one point [in January] in team training.
“Thiago is in a very good moment as well but we just have to make sure we don’t use him then too early. The hip thing in and around that area is just a long-term thing as well.
“There were for sure days where he could have easily trained but it’s all about how can he be back then in the long term, and that’s what we are working on.”
“With Stefan, if you ask Stefan how he feels, he says ‘good’. ‘Could you train?’ Yes, he could. It’s just we have to be sensible. That’s how it is.
“It’s a growing issue, it’s not growing [increasing] but because of his growing, his age and stuff like this. So we just have to be careful. He could train today fully and then maybe tomorrow as well and then not [for] five weeks. It’s a medical decision, it’s not by the boy, it’s not by me.
“It’s just that’s how you have to do it if something like this happens. And that makes it so annoying for the boy.”
“Robbo still needs more range in his shoulder. Obviously it was a big surgery. [He is] still not even close to team training or whatever.
“Can do a lot, everything without using the arm properly, which is obviously good but on the other side shows us we still have a long way to go. For sure, I think, the full January he has to get closer and closer.”
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