Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has been handed positive news on the injury front with a key quartet returning to training this week.
With the international break now over, focus will return to the Premier League title race with Liverpool trying to fend off rivals Manchester City at the top of the table.
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Further, they will also hope to advance in the Champions League when they face Porto in the quarter-finals next month, and so in order to continue to compete on two fronts, Klopp will be desperate to have as close to a fully fit squad as possible.
As noted by the Liverpool Echo, and in freelance injury analyst Ben Dinnery’s tweet below, he has been handed a huge boost as Joe Gomez, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Naby Keita and Xherdan Shaqiri all returned to training on Thursday.
Particularly in the case of Gomez who has been sidelined since last year, that doesn’t necessarily mean that they are all ready to make their first-team comeback immediately.
While they will perhaps require further patience to return to full match fitness, the fact that they are back in training with the rest of the group is in itself a huge boost for the Merseyside giants ahead of the all-important season run-in.
“We will see how they react,” Klopp told the media. “They needed treatment and rehab.
“Joe was back yesterday after 15 weeks. What a long time! But he looked really good.
“He is adapting back to football training after thousands of rehab sessions. They should be okay and train again today.”
Liverpool face Tottenham at Anfield on Sunday while Porto visit Merseyside on April 9 for the first leg of their Champions League tie.
With that date in mind, Klopp will be hopeful that his key quartet can continue to make progress in the coming weeks and avoid any setbacks with just a handful of decisive games now remaining this season.
Klopp confirms those returning from injury – Shaqiri, Keita, Alexander-Arnold and Gomez – all trained on Thursday. "We will see how they react." Oxlade-Chamberlain should re-join the group from next week. #LFC
— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) March 29, 2019
