A fresh insight into the personnel situation at Premier League giants Liverpool has been provided late on Friday evening.
This, of course, comes as Jurgen Klopp and co. put the finishing touches on preparations for a crunch showdown with Merseyside rivals Everton.
Fresh off an alarming FA Cup exit at the hands of Brighton & Hove Albion, the Reds are primed to turn their attentions back towards matters on the league front, desperate for a bounce back result up against the club’s relegation-battling neighbours.
In turn, ahead of what is no doubt set to prove a tense 90 minutes at Anfield, the aforementioned Klopp, for obvious reasons, will be desperate to have as many of his key performers as possible fit and available for selection.
It will therefore come as a source of concern for all associated with Liverpool to hear that, on Friday, a fresh personnel blow has been confirmed amongst the club’s first-team setup.
The player struggling for fitness ahead of Monday’s derby? Thiago Alcantara.
Thiago Alcantara struggling with a hip injury for Liverpool ahead of Merseyside derby.
— paul joyce (@_pauljoyce) February 10, 2023
Elsewhere, though, ome timely positive news has also been confirmed.
This comes amid suggestions that long-time absentee Diogo Jota could be in line to mark his return to the matchday fold on Monday.
The Portuguese, on the back of a lengthy spell out of action with a calf injury, was spotted back in full training this week.
Whilst Virgil van Dijk and Roberto Firmino look altogether unlikely to feature in any capacity next time out, Jota, on the other hand, could therefore be made use of off the bench.
🚨 NEW: Diogo Jota has returned to training and could feature on the substitutes’ bench for the first time since damaging his calf last October, but Virgil van Dijk and Roberto Firmino are not yet taking part in full sessions. #lfc [paul joyce – times]
— Anfield Watch (@AnfieldWatch) February 10, 2023
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