Jurgen Klopp has been boosted by the news that Liverpool midfielder Arthur is a fortnight ahead of schedule as he works his way back to fitness following surgery on a thigh injury.
Arthur joined the Reds in a deadline-day loan deal from Juventus back in the summer but struggled to make an early impression. While the 26-year-old put in extra training sessions in a bid to force his way into Klopp's plans, he tore a muscle back in October.
The midfield maestro was expected to be missing for up to three months after undergoing surgery to amend the issue - but it has been revealed that Arthur is on course to return to action sooner than initially planned.
According to the Daily Mail, Arthur has made excellent progress with his recovery during the World Cup break and is estimated to be two weeks ahead of schedule. After undertaking recovery work in his native Brazil, Arthur has linked up with the Liverpool squad in Dubai for some warm-weather training ahead of the second half of the Premier League campaign.
Liverpool's club doctors are believed to be 'very optimistic' that Arthur, who has been taking extra English classes during his injury lay-off, could return to action before the end of January.
The news will come as a major boost to Klopp, who confirmed earlier this week that Luis Diaz had suffered a setback in his recovery. The Colombian winger has been sidelined with a knee issue since October.
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Klopp quickly shot down speculation that the club were plotting to cut short Arthur's time on Merseyside in the new year due to the disappointing nature of his loan spell.
Speaking after news of Arthur's injury first emerged back in October, the Reds chief said: "He’s here. It’s a long-term injury and when he’s back, we’ll think about it again. But at the moment, it’s too far away. No [we won’t cut the loan in January]."
Arthur's excellent progress has coincided with Brazil's World Cup campaign; the Reds ace was hoping to be a part of the squad that jetted off to Qatar, only to sustain a serious injury just weeks before the start of the tournament.
But he outlined his determination to come back stronger after the setback in a post on his Instagram account. Back in October, Arthur said: "Last week was not the best for me… Sadly, as you know, an unfortunate injury to my left thigh will keep me out of action for a while. It comes just at time when, after huge effort and lots of hard work, I was ready to establish myself in my new team and determined to fight for my dream of playing at the World Cup.
"It is now time for me to keep my head up and join forces with my family and do everything I need to with my team to make sure I come back stronger as soon as possible. No obstacle will prevent me from progressing in my career and I have great ambition to show what I can do on the pitch.
"In the meantime, I will continue to support my Liverpool teammates and my beloved Brazil national team. Thanks for all the messages of support!"
