Liverpool look set to have Ryan Gravenberch back for a crunch Premier League title showdown with Arsenal this weekend.
The Dutch midfielder, who has impressed at Anfield since his £34million summer transfer from Bayern Munich, was forced off in the second half of Sunday's goalless draw with fierce rivals Manchester United with an apparent hamstring problem.
Reds boss Jurgen Klopp expressed immediate optimism that the injury was not serious, but said Gravenberch would nevertheless need to undergo a scan to assess the extent of the damage.
However, speaking ahead of Wednesday's home Carabao Cup quarter-final clash with West Ham, Klopp's assistant Pep Lijnders confirmed that the 21-year-old was only suffering from fatigue and should return to training at Kirkby on Tuesday.
“We thought there was really something, he came off during the game and you saw immediately when he came off what that did to the team as well, he was playing really well," Lijnders said.
"Especially against these man-marking sides he plays unbelievable. But he had a scan and it’s only DOMS, which is fatigue, so that’s a really good thing.
"He will train hopefully today, let’s see where he is. We have to be careful of course because that’s a sign. So that’s a good one.”
There was mixed news elsewhere on the injury front for Liverpool ahead of a vital few days in the context of their season, with Alexis Mac Allister making positive strides in his recovery from a nasty knee injury sustained in the 2-0 win at Sheffield United earlier this month.
“Alexis is progressing well, he doesn’t have pain anymore, which is a good thing. It was worse than we first thought, but he is progressing well, no pain. Let’s see if we can progress him," Lijnders told the Liverpool website.
However, the Liverpool coach also then admitted at his pre-West Ham press conference that the issue is likely to keep Mac Allister out over the Christmas period.
"It will go into the New Year but that could be possible - and we play 1 January [against Newcastle] so let's see!" he said.
There was good news on Diogo Jota, who continues to ramp up his recovery from a muscle injury sustained in the 1-1 draw with title rivals Manchester City at the Etihad Stadium last month.
However, at this stage it sounds unlikely that the Portuguese forward will be ready in time to face top-flight leaders Arsenal at Anfield on Saturday evening.
“Diogo is doing ball work on the pitch so that is getting closer and closer," Lijnders said. "But always with hamstring injuries you have to be careful, we always say when they come back give them another two or three days for sure.”
Liverpool remain without Andy Robertson in addition to long-term absentees Joel Matip, Thiago Alcantara and Stefan Bajcetic, while young winger Ben Doak is now also set for a lengthy layoff as he prepares for surgery on a serious knee injury suffered while playing for the club's Under-21 side against Chelsea last weekend.
“That’s not a good one. He teared his lateral meniscus, which needs surgery," added Lijnders. "That one will take [a] longer time.
"He is young, he is a fit guy, he is a positive guy so for sure he will come back stronger, and we need him to come back with the same fire he has with the ball, how he was. He can take time and we will wait for him.”
