Here are your Liverpool evening headlines for Wednesday, December 21.
Diogo Jota target
Diogo remains on course for a return to play in the new year, Pep Lijnders confirmed earlier today.
Jota has been out since October, when he damaged his calf during a 1-0 win against Manchester City - tomorrow's Carabao Cup opponents. He was ruled out of Portugal's World Cup squad after a prognosis that the forward would be out until the new year.
READ MORE: Every word Pep Lijnders said on Liverpool January transfer plans, Man City return and injury news
The 26-year-old joined the rest of the squad in Dubai over the last couple of weeks, stepping up his rehabilitation ahead of a return in 2023 - February’s Champions League round of 16 clash with Real Madrid has been touted as a potential target.
And offering an update on Jota’s fitness, the Liverpool assistant manager said: "Jota is within the timeframe. He was with us in Dubai. It was nice for someone with a long-term injury to get out of the English weather. He was in all the video meetings and we had a lot of them."
Alder Hey visit
Players from Liverpool and Everton came together today to visit Alder Hey Children's Hospital for the first time since the pandemic.
Rivals from the red and blue halves of Merseyside united in spreading festive cheer among patients, parents and staff, handing out presents and spending some quality time with the children. Their visit was the first since 2019, with Alder Hey organising the event and inviting both sets of players as guests of honour, along with Santa and Mrs Claus.
Mohamed Salah, Harvey Elliott and Joel Matip were among several Liverpool players pictured, while Curtis Jones was spotted renewing old rivalries by facing off against Anthony Gordon in a game of Connect4.
Take a look at our gallery of the visit here.
READ NEXT
