Liverpool are being warned they face the possibility of being without star attackers Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane at the start of the 2019/20 season.
Both players are gearing up for the African Cup of Nations where they will compete for Egypt and Senegal respectively having only finished their campaign with the Reds on June 1 in Madrid with a Champions League win over Tottenham.
Salah has played a total of 9,379 minutes for Liverpool and Egypt, including 8,461 for the Reds, over the last two seasons.
No Liverpool player can match his 52 games in four competitions last season and he was a virtual ever-present.
Mane is fourth on the list of game time for players at the AFCON with 9,059 minutes for Senegal and Liverpool, including 7,789 minutes for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
Egypt, who are hosting the bi-annual tournament, kick-off proceedings on Friday night against Zimbabwe while Senegal's competition begins with a match against Tanzania on Sunday.
It leaves the likes of Salah and Mane with no respite, given that they could be playing until July 19 if they reach the AFCON final which is just over two weeks before Liverpool begin their new campaign against Manchester City in the Community Shield.
Former Arsenal and Cameroon defender Lauren has warned that Klopp could be without two of his star men for the beginning of the season.
Lauren twice won the Africa Cup of Nations with Cameroon and was a two-time Premier League winner during a successful spell with the Gunners.
He told bwin : “Whatever happens, Liverpool will need to start the season without Salah and Mane, as they will need a good couple of weeks to rest and recuperate.
“Otherwise their level will drop during the season. Players will be mentally and physically exhausted and will need a few weeks to recuperate before heading into the new Premier League season.
“If they don’t get the rest, there will be a chance that their Premier League campaign will be impacted by a slow start as the players are just too tired to play.
“This could be trouble for Liverpool as both Salah and Mane will likely be involved in the latter stages of the African Cup of Nations.”
