Jurgen Klopp has revealed Mo Salah is not ‘far off’ a return to action for Liverpool, implying the Liverpool winger might be in line to return for the Premier League showdown against Manchester City later this month.
Salah has not featured for the Reds since the 4-1 win over Brentford on 17 February, in which he came off the bench to score and assist.
That game represented the Egyptian’s first game back after a hamstring injury sustained during the Africa Cup of Nations.
After facing the Bees, however, Salah was then left out of Liverpool’s next three games (the wins over Luton, Chelsea and Southampton), with Klopp citing fatigue as an issue in the forward’s recovery.
Speaking ahead of Saturday’s Premier League clash away at Nottingham Forest, Klopp once again ruled Salah out of contention.
“I don’t think Mo is too far off but he will not feature tomorrow,” Klopp told reporters. “From there we have to go. It’s like with the other two [Darwin Nuñez and Dominik Szoboszlai] ‘touch and go’.
“That stays with Mo a bit longer unfortunately. I think next week at any point is possible.
“So he’s on the way back definitely but not there yet.”
BOOST FOR MAN CITY CLASH
Klopp’s prediction that Salah could return to contention as early as next week would put him in line for inclusion in the squad to face title rivals Manchester City on Sunday, 10 March.
Following the game against Forest this weekend, Liverpool travel to Sparta Prague on Thursday, 7 March for the first leg of their Europa League last 16 tie. That is followed by the Premier League visit of City three days later — a potentially decisive date in the calendar with Pep Guardiola’s side currently one point off league leaders Liverpool.
The Europa League second leg against Sparta and the FA Cup quarter final against Manchester United will be played the week after.
Elsewhere, Klopp revealed both Darwin Nuñez and Dominik Szoboszlai had both returned to team training, following their own spells on the sidelines.
“Darwin and Dom trained yesterday with the team,” said Klopp in his pre-match press conference. “So, they look good, we have to wait [to see] how they react.”
