Jurgen Klopp has revealed Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker has “made big steps” in his recovery from a shoulder injury.
But Naby Keita has joined the Brazilian on the sidelines and will miss the Merseyside derby at Everton on Saturday.
Alisson has been out since suffering the damage during a training session ahead of the Premier League trip to Aston Villa a fortnight ago.
With Adrian deputising between the sticks, Liverpool slumped to their heaviest defeat since 1963 when they were thrashed 7-2.
Initial suggestions were Alisson, who was also absent from Brazil’s World Cup qualifying double-header against Bolivia and Peru, could be sidelined for up to six weeks.
Klopp, though, offered an upbeat medical bulletin to suggest the goalkeeper could return sooner than expected.
“Very, very positive with Ali,” said the Reds boss on Friday. “Looks really good. Made big steps. I don’t have a timeframe but it looks really good.”
Listen to Klopp's press conference ahead of the Merseyside derby on the Blood Red podcast HERE
The majority of Liverpool’s squad resumed training on Thursday at Melwood having returned from international duty, while Thiago Alcantara and Sadio Mane trained normally after serving self-isolation periods following positive coronavirus tests.
Keita, though, was not among the group with Klopp confirming the Guinea midfielder will not be considered for the trip to Goodison.
“Naby will not be ready,” he said. “Apart from that, they all came back healthy from the national team.
“Long-term, the likes of Ox are still out.”
