Liverpool handed Harvey Elliott injury boost but…

Liverpool handed Harvey Elliott injury boost but midfield pair miss training

After suffering defeat in their first Dubai Super Cup friendly to Lyon on Sunday, Liverpool returned to training on Tuesday as their mid-season camp continues.

The Reds are next in action against AC Milan on Friday ahead of making a return to competitive action away at Man City in the League Cup in midweek. And there was a returning face in training for Liverpool ’s latest session.

With Jurgen Klopp watching on, here’s what we spotted as the Reds were put through their paces out in the Middle East.

Darwin Nunez is back!

As promised, Darwin Nunez was back in training on Tuesday following his World Cup exploits with Uruguay. The striker was granted just over a week off following the South American outfit’s group-stage exit.

Linking back up with his club team-mates for the first time, Nunez was in good spirits. In good form before the World Cup break, Klopp will hope he can pick up where he left off with the striker’s importance to the Reds even greater following Luis Diaz’s injury setback.

Darwin Nunez in training with Liverpool in Dubai (Getty Images)

Harvey Elliott trains

Liverpool were handed an injury scare against Lyon when Harvey Elliott was forced off inside the opening half-hour. The midfielder was seen shaking his head when leaving the field, automatically raising concerns that he could have joined the Reds’ injury list.

Fortunately his withdrawal was just a precaution, having been on the receiving end of a heavy challenge in the build-up to Liverpool’s first-minute goal against the French outfit.

Speaking after the game, Klopp played down fears regarding Elliott’s substitution.

"Harvey got a knock before we scored, Harvey got a knock. But I think we were lucky,” he said. “He looks fine now but he feels it, that's normal, there was contact. But I hope we were lucky in that moment."

And it would seem the German has been proven right after Elliott was pictured training as normal with the rest of his team-mates.

No Naby Keita or Curtis Jones

Naby Keita made his playing comeback against Lyon as a second half substitute, having not featured for the Reds since a late appearance in the Community Shield back in July because of injury.

Yet despite that appearance, he wasn’t pictured training on Tuesday. The Guinean did seemingly suffer a setback when making a previous return to team training before the World Cup break, while Diaz’s return to Merseyside to undergo surgery after missing training because of discomfort in his knee when making his own return will set alarm bells ringing.

However, Liverpool could just be treading carefully with Keita’s return, given his injury woes so far this season. He did miss a session before playing against Lyon, after all.

Elsewhere, Curtis Jones, who hasn't been pictured in training since December 7 and wasn't in the matchday squad against Lyon, also missed out. While the reason for his absence has not yet been confirmed, it would appear he is suffering with an injury.

Salah x Thiago

Mohamed Salah and Thiago Alcantara are two of the most high-profile names in the Reds squad. And it appears that they have developed quite a strong bond during their time together at Anfield.

Having partnered up to take on Jurgen Klopp and Pep Lijnders at padel earlier in the week, they were thick as thieves once again when training in the Dubai heat.

Salah was pictured massaging Thiago’s shoulders and then his head as the beaming pair laughed and embraced. While Liverpool might not have been at their best in the first half of the season, it’s good to see team spirit in the camp remains high!

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