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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Paul Gorst

Naby Keita absence explained as Fabinho benched for Liverpool against Manchester United

Fabinho starts on the bench for Liverpool as Naby Keita misses out entirely at Manchester United.

Captain Jordan Henderson returns to the starting line-up alongside James Milner and Harvey Elliott, while Fabinho is named among the nine-man bench that does not include Keita, whose absence from the Reds team goes on this term.

Keita is yet to feature this season having missed the trip to Fulham with illness before failing to make it off the bench in last week's 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace. Speaking ahead of the game, Klopp simply said: "Naby Keita is out. I like the team we have selected a lot." It is believed he misses out through injury.

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As expected, Joe Gomez is named at centre-back alongside Virgil van Dijk as Trent Alexander-Arnold, Andy Robertson and Alisson Becker complete the rest of the back five.

Up top, Roberto Firmino returns in place of the suspended Darwin Nunez with Mohamed Salah and Luis Diaz on the right and left of a front three, respectively.

Jurgen Klopp has named two goalkeepers on the substitutes bench in Adrian and Harvey Davies as his injury crisis goes on.

Liverpool: Alisson; Alexander-Arnold, Gomez, Van Dijk, Robertson; Henderson, Milner, Elliott; Salah, Firmino, Diaz.

Subs: Adrian, Davies, Fabinho, Tsimikas, Carvalho, Phillips, Bajcetic, Van den Berg, Clark.

United: De Gea; Dalot, Varane, Martínez, Malacia, McTominay, Eriksen, Bruno Fernandes, Sancho, Elanga, Rashford.

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