Jurgen Klopp will provide an update on the fitness of Diogo Jota, Curtis Jones, Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah when he addresses the media on Tuesday morning at the AXA Training Centre.
The Liverpool boss will be previewing his side’s latest Premier League clash against Luton Town and much of his pre-match briefing is expected to be centred around the availability of some of the Reds top performers after a bruising trip to Brentford on Saturday afternoon.
Goals from Nunez, Alexis Mac Allister, Salah and Cody Gakpo sealed a valuable three points for the Reds in West London, that result though didn’t come without a string of fresh injury concerns for Liverpool just days before the 2024 League Cup final against Chelsea.
Jota, who exited the field on the stretcher after being substituted at the end of the first half, will miss Sunday’s Wembley showdown with the Londoners and could be sidelined for up to two months. Jones, meanwhile, underwent an initial scan after taking damage to his ankle, with the full extent of his injury expected to be revealed in the coming days.
Nunez, according to Klopp, was substituted at half-time as a precaution. It has also been reported that Salah has suffered a recurrence of a recent muscle injury. Ahead of Wednesday’s Premier League fixture against Luton Town, here is the latest Liverpool injury news.
Mohamed Salah
31-year-old Salah marked his first Liverpool appearance since New Year’s Day with a goal and assist against Thomas Frank’s side, but on Sunday evening reports from Egypt claimed Salah had suffered a relapse of the hamstring injury he sustained at last month’s Africa Cup of Nations.
Speaking to Egyptian TV station OnTimeSports, presenter Ahmed Shoubir said: “I have sad news, I learned that Salah suffered an injury at the end of the meeting between Liverpool and Brentford and renewed injury suffered during the camp of the Egyptian national team.
“Salah unfortunately will not be able to play the next Liverpool Premier League match against Luton Town. This is my information and I hope that the news is not true, but it is largely true.”
Salah, as is routine for players who are returning from injuries, will be checked over when the team gathers for training and Klopp will deliver the latest in his Tuesday press conference to preview the visit from Luton.
Expected return date: Unkown
Diogo Jota
As mentioned, Jota was withdrawn just before half-time at the Gtech Community Stadium on Saturday after suffering a blow to his left knee. The Portugal left the pitch on a stretcher and was later pictured exiting the stadium on crutches with his knee in a brace.
It is the ECHO’s understanding that the former Wolverhampton Wanderers forward has not suffered cruciate damage and could still play some part in the latter stages of Liverpool’s season. However, he will miss Sunday’s Carabao Cup final against Chelsea.
Expected return date: Mid-April
Curtis Jones
Like Jota, Jones is yet to learn the full extent of the ankle injury he suffered during the first half of Saturday’s thrashing of Brentford. The Reds’ No.17 left the stadium on crutches and will face a race against the clock to prove his fitness for the Carabao Cup final.
Expected return date: Several weeks
Darwin Nunez
Despite opening the scoring for Liverpool in West London, Nunez was substituted at half-time last time out, with Klopp later revealing the Uruguayan had a slight muscle issue.
However, the Reds boss did stress that the No.9’s departure was precautionary and eased fears that he would be set for an extended spell on the sidelines.
“Darwin, we took off because he said he feels something a little,” said Klopp on February 17. “Today that was enough to immediately push the brake and that’s what we did.
“We took him off, brought on Cody and that worked really well. That’s not great. We can talk about that part of the game, that’s really not good but we cannot change that anymore.”
Expected return date: Unknown.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Alexander-Arnold missed Liverpool’s win over Brentford with a knee injury. The right-back suffered discomfort in his knee during last week’s victory over Burnley and was substituted at half-time.
The Reds vice-captain now faces a spell on the sidelines and has already been ruled out of Liverpool’s Carabao Cup final against Chelsea next Sunday.
Expected return date: Early March.
Alisson Becker
Alisson missed Liverpool’s win over Brentford with a hamstring injury. The goalkeeper has now missed the past two Reds matches and was not involved in last week’s win over Burnley due to illness.
“Ali was ill last week and injured this week,” said Klopp on February 17. “No other ideas behind it (starting Caoimhin Kelleher). If he hadn’t been ill and hadn’t been injured now, Ali would have played.
“We will see how long Ali is out but Caoimhin is exceptional and today it was an A+ performance.”
Expected return date: March
Dominik Szoboszlai
Szoboszlai has missed Liverpool’s last three Premier League matches with a hamstring injury. The Hungary international first suffered the injury on New Year’s Day against Newcastle.
Szoboszlai made his return against Chelsea on January 31 but has now missed the games against Arsenal, Burnley and Brentford through injury. The midfielder remains a doubt for the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea next Sunday.
Thiago Alcantara
Thiago suffered a hamstring injury during his cameo appearance against Arsenal on February 4. The midfielder had not played for the Reds for nine months before his substitute appearance at the Emirates Stadium.
No timeframe has been placed on when Liverpool expect Thiago to return. Klopp has previously admitted that he is hopeful that the midfielder will return to the matchday squad before the end of the season.
Expected return date: Unknown.
Stefan Bajcetic
Stefan Bajcetic has endured a frustrating period in his fledgling Anfield career after a number of injury problems. He enjoyed a strong debut campaign last season but saw it end prematurely after suffering a stress response in his adductor in March.
Bajcetic returned in September with outings in the Carabao Cup and Europa League but his involvement against LASK Linz proved to be his last after suffering a calf issue. It remains unclear when he will return to full training,.
Expected return date: Unknown.
Joel Matip
Joel Matip is recovering from surgery after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury. The 32-year-old, who is the final months of his contract at Liverpool, is likely to miss the rest of the season. The centre-back was left stricken in the 70th minute of the dramatic Premier League 4-3 win over Fulham in December after an off-the-ball incident.
Expected return date: Summer
Ben Doak
Ben Doak is out long term with a serious knee injury sustained playing for the under-21s. Assistant manager Pep Lijnders said of Doak’s condition: “That’s not a good one. He tore his lateral meniscus, which needs surgery.
“That one will take (a) longer time. He is young, he is a fit guy, he is a positive guy so for sure he will come back stronger, and we need him to come back with the same fire he has with the ball, how he was. We will wait for him.”
Expected return date: Late season