Liverpool were pictured back in training on Thursday as preparations for their weekend trip to Brighton & Hove Albion continue.
The Reds were held to a 2-2 draw by struggling Wolves in the FA Cup in their last outing, having lost 3-1 away at Brentford in their previous Premier League match. With the Seagulls just a point behind Jurgen Klopp’s side, who currently sit sixth in the table, Liverpool will be desperate to rediscover their best form on the south coast.
Despite their recent poor form, the Reds were in good spirits in their latest session as they welcomed one player back from injury. However, a number of players weren’t pictured at the AXA Training Centre. Here’s what we spotted in training…
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No Nunez
Darwin Nunez was the most notable new absence from Liverpool’s latest training session. The Uruguayan scored his 10th goal of the season against Wolves, but wasn’t pictured as the Reds took to the pitches.
The likes of Naby Keita and Thiago Alcantara have both not been pictured in recent training sessions, only to take part in the following game. However, it does create an anxious wait for an update from Jurgen Klopp at his Friday morning pre-match press conference.
Elsewhere, Curtis Jones also wasn’t pictured. The midfielder made his own return from injury against Brentford, only to be left out of the matchday squad against Wolves before playing for the Under-21s against Tottenham on Sunday.
Roberto Firmino and Stefan Bajcetic also sat out the session as they nurse injuries, with Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota, Virgil van Dijk, and Arthur Melo long-term absentees.
Milly’s back!
There was better news on the injury front with regards to James Milner at least! The Liverpool vice-captain hasn’t played since limping off against Man City in the League Cup last month, but he was back training with his team-mates on Thursday.
Taking to social media after the session, he wrote: “Nice to be back with the boys. #YNWA”.
Youngster watch
Despite missing the Under-21s’ win over Paris Saint-Germain and the Under-18s’ FA Youth Cup victory over Port Vale on Wednesday, Ben Doak was back training with the first team on Thursday.
The 17-year-old had been replaced at half-time for the Under-21s on Sunday against Tottenham, having received some heavy treatment and come on for the first team the night before. Yet he allayed any injury fears by taking part in the session.
Elsewhere, Calvin Ramsay was also involved and is available for Saturday’s trip to Brighton, despite his red card for the Under-21s against Spurs, while the likes of Fabian Mrozek and Melkamu Frauendorf also took part.
Happy Birthday!
Speaking of Melkamu Frauendorf, it is the winger’s 19th birthday and he was treated to the traditional Liverpool celebrations ahead of the session as his team-mates took it in turn to sing him Happy Birthday in their mother tongues.
Despite the Reds’ recent form, the squad were in good spirits as Alisson Becker was pictured with a beaming smile while Mohamed Salah was snapped mucking around with Harvey Elliott by patting his hair. Hopefully they’ll be just as cheerful come 5pm on Saturday!
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