Liverpool are yet to record their first victory of the new season following the 2-1 defeat to Manchester United, with the Reds’ injury troubles continuing to cause issues.
A number of injured players missed the clash at Old Trafford, as well as suspended Darwin Nunez, who still has two games left to serve of his three-match ban. Roberto Firmino’s return to the side on Monday was welcomed with open arms, but Jurgen Klopp is still expected to remain without a whole host of injured players ahead of this weekend.
Here is all you need to know about the current state of play at Anfield and the expected return dates for those out injured.
Naby Keita
Reds midfielder Naby Keita was just the latest name to be added to the ever-growing injury list at Anfield when he was ruled out of Monday’s clash with United, leaving Klopp’s options worryingly thin heading into that defeat at Old Trafford, as well as this weekend’s visit of Bournemouth.
Keita made a late cameo in the Community Shield victory over Manchester City on July 30, before missing the Premier League ’s opening weekend draw at Fulham through illness. He returned to the bench for the following game against Crystal Palace, but is now ruled out yet again and will not feature on Saturday.
Speaking on Friday, Klopp said: “Naby will not be ready for the weekend. We still need to have a look at exactly how long it will take. It's a muscle, and it's not 100 per cent clear, but [he] will not be in for the next week."
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Joel Matip
Centre-back Joel Matip continues to be ruled out of action with a groin injury, having missed the last two games with the problem, and still isn’t expected to return until next month.
The 31-year-old had picked up the problem in a training session two weeks ago and will once again miss out against Bournemouth after being ruled out until early September, meaning that Joe Gomez should continue in the heart of the defence alongside Virgil van Dijk.
Speaking on August 22, Klopp said: "'How it happened, didn’t feel anything in training, walked in then said ‘yeah, there is something’ and then out for, I don’t know, three weeks, four weeks, whatever.”
Diogo Jota
Liverpool forward Diogo Jota remains sidelined with a thigh injury that he picked up during the pre-season camp in Thailand in July, meaning he has failed to feature for the Reds since the end of last season.
However, after a lengthy lay-off and plenty of recovery time, there was plenty of optimism that Jota would be able to return by the end of the month, although Saturday’s visit of Bournemouth is still expected to be too early for the Portuguese international.
In his last update on August 5, Klopp said: "Diogo, it was obviously slightly too early, or the injury was different in the first place. They are already fine, and in a few weeks, they will be back."
Thiago Alcantara
Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara remains out of action after being hauled off after just 51 minutes of the 2-2 draw against Fulham on the opening weekend, where he picked up a thigh injury.
Thiago is expected to be out for the next month and will play no further part until mid-September at the earliest, although he will continue to be assessed over the coming weeks. However, Klopp is hoping that he will be able to make an early comeback.
In his last update on August 6, Klopp said: "And now with Thiago, that is, of course, not good, and we will see. It looks pretty bad. He didn't look too happy."
Caoimhin Kelleher
Second choice goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher continues to recover from a groin injury that he picked up during June’s international break with the Republic of Ireland, which forced him out of action for the Reds ever since.
The 23-year-old picked up the injury following the 1-1 draw with Ukraine on June 14, before feeling the same problem again once he’d returned to Liverpool’s training base for pre-season. However, a return to the squad could be expected by the end of the month.
In his last update on July 29, Klopp said: "Caoimh felt something after the international game [in June]. He came back, and first training [session] felt it again. We checked it, and it was not good so I think he will be another 2-3 weeks and then he should be fine."
Curtis Jones
Liverpool youngster Curtis Jones has been out of action since his small cameo in the Community Shield victory over Manchester City on July 30, with the midfielder picking up a calf injury.
It was initially thought that the severity of the injury wasn’t too bad and that Jones could be fit and ready for the trip to Fulham on the opening weekend, but it is now looking like he will be out of action until the end of the month at least as he continues his recovery.
In his last update on August 5, Klopp said: "We hope with Curtis, we caught it in the right moment; that's just how it is with young players. They have some kind of stress reactions sometimes, and then if they go over it because it's not massive pain, it could lead to something serious."
Calvin Ramsay
Liverpool’s third signing of the summer Calvin Ramsay is yet to make a single appearance for the club since joining from Aberdeen last month, with the teenager being kept out of action as the Reds opt to address an old injury issue.
It is unsure as to how long he will be kept out of first team action for, but Klopp will be keen to have him available soon in order to provide adequate cover for first choice right back Trent Alexander-Arnold. However, the Scottish youngster will not be rushed.
In his last update on July 28, Klopp said: "We found a little injury which kids have when they grow. So, we have to be careful with that; that’s why he didn’t train yet."
Ibrahima Konate
Centre-back Ibrahima Konate featured in Liverpool’s final pre-season friendly of the summer against Strasbourg on July 30 but was substituted after 57 minutes with a knee injury and has been ruled out of action ever since.
It was initially thought that the Frenchman’s condition wasn’t too serious and he may have been back in contention for the opening weekend trip to face Fulham, but it is looking like he will be ruled out for the foreseeable future, with a specific return date yet to be determined.
In his last update on August 5, Klopp said: “We have to see how long it will take, but he is out for a while."
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain remains out of action for the next two to three months after picking up yet another injury during the 2-0 friendly defeat of Crystal Palace in pre-season on July 15.
The 28-year-old was taken off just before half-time with a thigh injury and has now been ruled out for the foreseeable future. Due to the timing of the World Cup in November, Oxlade-Chamberlain may not pull on a Liverpool shirt again until the Premier League returns in late December.
In his last update on July 29, Klopp said: "It’s a serious hamstring injury, and it will take longer. But it’s a hamstring, and we all hate this word, we hate the injury, but anyway, it happens from time to time, and now Ox was the one."
