Liverpool are close to returning to Premier League action after a lengthy absence.
The Reds have not played a top flight fixture since the goalless draw with Everton on September 3. They are now busy preparing for a schedule that will see them play twice a week until the middle of November before the mid-season break for the World Cup.
One advantage of this stoppage in the season has meant that a number of Liverpool’s injured players have had time to recover from their respective issues. Here, we take a look at how the Reds’ current injury list is looking before Jurgen Klopp speaks to the media on Friday.
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Jordan Henderson
Liverpool’s captain had been sidelined since the win over Newcastle at the end of August with a hamstring injury. He has so far missed two matches, both coming in the Champions League.
Henderson was named in the England squad for the Nations League fixtures against Italy and Germany. He appeared as a late substitute in the 3-3 draw with Germany, and looks to have recovered from his injury.
Andy Robertson
The Liverpool left-back sustained an issue during the team's Champions League defeat away to Napoli earlier this month and is not expected to be rushed back for Brighton.
Robertson is likely to have made progress on his recovery over the course of the international break, but it remains to be seen when he will next be available for selection.
Ibrahima Konate
Konate has been unavailable for selection all season after suffering an injury during a pre-season fixture against Strasbourg,
However, the latest update is that the player is nearing a return to action and has been cleared to make his comeback after continuing his rehab programme during the international break and could be in line for a recall.
Klopp's preferred method of reintroducing injured players into the fold is to give them two full sessions with the main group before considering the player for selection once again.
Curtis Jones
Curtis Jones' only minutes of the season so far came in the closing stages of the 3-1 Community Shield victory over Manchester in late July, with a subsequent freak injury keeping the England Under-21 international sidelined since. His manager has placed no timescale on his return to first-team action
"When Curtis was out previously, he had a stress reaction in a bone around the tibia," said Klopp on September 6. "It was absolutely fine, but he trained twice and then felt it again. It's not as bad as the first time but bad enough to [stop him] training. We have to be careful."
Caoimhin Kelleher
Caoimhin Kelleher sustained an injury while playing for Ireland in June and is another member of the squad yet to feature for Liverpool this season. However, the Ireland goalkeeper was recently pictured in training, indicating that he could be available for selection from October onwards.
Calvin Ramsay
Yet to train with his team-mates since making his summer move from Aberdeen, Calvin Ramsay is another member of the Liverpool squad who could be in line to feature in October as he is expected to step up his recovery over this international break.
"Calvin is still out but really getting closer and closer," said Klopp at the start of September. "For him, it was something with his back, something to do with age and growing and these kind of things. He didn’t train now properly with us, but he gets closer."
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita
As two long-term absentees of the Liverpool squad, the duo were both omitted from the club's Champions League squad earlier this month. After suffering a hamstring injury during the pre-season clash with Crystal Palace in July, Oxlade-Chamberlain is not expected to make a return to action until the end of October, at the earliest.
The same situation applies to Keita, who is suffering from a muscle issue at this moment in time. Addressing the latest on the Guinean, Klopp said: "The expected return date is somewhere in October, that's why we had to make the decision [Champions League squad]. With Ox it is the same and that's why the two boys are not in the Champions League squad because of their expected return."
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