Curtis Jones has returned to training ahead of Liverpool's Premier League fixture against Newcastle at Anfield on Wednesday evening.
The England youth international, 21, hasn't played for the Reds since suffering a calf injury in their Community Shield victory against Manchester City at the end of July. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is missing a number of central midfielders at the moment, including Thiago Alcantara, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita.
Jones' return to fitness comes after Klopp and Reds owner John Henry agreed on signing a new central midfielder. That player is not expected to arrive before Thursday's transfer deadline, although club chiefs will continue to stay alert in case an opportunity arises.
Liverpool supporters will be pleased to know Calvin Ramsay and Joel Matip have also returned to training. It's unclear whether either those defenders or Jones will be available for their upcoming game against Eddie Howe's Newcastle.
The Reds have suffered this season due to their minor injury crisis, picking up just five points from their first four Premier League games. They did get their first win of the term on Saturday afternoon, hammering Bournemouth 9-0 at Anfield.
Speaking ahead of that game, Klopp admitted: "I know we have had this discussion since it all started and I am the one who said we don’t need a midfielder and you were all right and I was wrong. That’s the situation. There is really nothing more to say about it.
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"We are looking for it, and if it is the right player we need him and if it is not the right player we don’t need him... I don’t know [if it will happen this month], we will see. It needs to be the right player, but we are working, and we will see if something will happen or not.
"As you can imagine, we are actually working constantly on these kind of things, and there are reasons why it is sometimes not happening – sometimes too expensive, sometimes not the right player - but then the situation changes.
“One thing stays important, and it’s that it needs to be the right player. If we do something it’ll be that we are 100 per cent convinced about it, and if we are not convinced, then we don’t do it."
Henry appeared to give his approval for a new central midfielder during Saturday's win against Bournemouth. "John, we need a midfielder," a fan shouted at the owner while filming him walking down the tunnel. Henry turned to him and gave a thumb's up.
Borussia Dortmund midfielder Jude Bellingham is believed to be Liverpool's primary target, yet he seems unlikely to leave Germany this summer. The England international, 19, is expected to remain at the Westfalenstadion for at least another 12 months.
"There is no request for him," Borussia Dortmund sporting director Sebastian Kehl told reporters on Saturday. "There is certainly a lot of interest." Kehl also said that he "hopes" Bellingham will stay at the club beyond June 2023, insisting he "feels comfortable" there.
