Liverpool are edging closer to a return to Premier League action in what has been something of a stop-start campaign to date.
Jurgen Klopp's side were last in top-flight combat on September 3 when taking on Everton in the Merseyside derby at Goodison Park. But they will resume their league season next Saturday afternoon when hosting Brighton at Anfield.
One positive for Liverpool boss Klopp heading into that match is a number of players who have been sidelined through injury have been handed time to continue working their way to full fitness, without missing any league games in the process.
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Others are facing a longer wait to complete their first-team comeback, with the likes of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita nursing long-term problems. And below is a round-up of the injury latest relating to the Reds.
Jordan Henderson
The Liverpool captain was one of the most recent additions to the Reds' injury-stricken treatment room. Having been withdrawn in the closing stages of the victory over Newcastle United last month, Henderson's hamstring injury forced Klopp to move swiftly on deadline day as the club signed Juventus midfielder Arthur on a season-long loan.
'We are still waiting for the result [of his MRI scan]. He is definitely out, he is injured, but the extent I don’t know," revealed the Liverpool manager earlier this month. However, it is now expected that Henderson will have recovered from injury in time for the visit of Brighton after being called up to the England squad ahead of their UEFA Nations League matches.
Andy Robertson
The Liverpool left-back sustained an issue during the team's Champions League defeat away to Napoli earlier this month and is not expected to be rushed back for Brighton by Klopp, paving the way for Kostas Tsimikas to continue featuring in his absence.
'Robbo now is not 100 per cent," said Klopp. "[He felt something] Very late, 93rd or whatever minute [in Napoli]. But yeah, he is out for at least, I would say, after the international break."
Ibrahima Konate
Ibrahima Konate is yet to feature for the Reds so far this campaign after suffering a long-term injury in the club's final pre-season game of the summer against French outfit Strasbourg. Leaving the field in the second half, Konate has since missed nine games this season but is now edging closer to a return.
"In and around the international break, he will be back in training," said Klopp when asked about the Frenchman's fitness earlier this month.
Curtis Jones
Curtis Jones' only minutes of the season so far came in the closing stages of the 3-1 Community Shield victory over Manchester in late July, with a subsequent freak injury keeping the England Under-21 international sidelined since. His manager has placed no timescale on his return to first-team action
"When Curtis was out previously, he had a stress reaction in a bone around the tibia," said Klopp on September 6. "It was absolutely fine, but he trained twice and then felt it again. It's not as bad as the first time but bad enough to [stop him] training. We have to be careful."
Caoimhin Kelleher
Caoimhin Kelleher sustained an injury while playing for Ireland in June and is another member of the squad yet to feature for Liverpool this season. However, the Ireland goalkeeper was recently pictured in training, indicating that he could be available for selection from October onwards.
Calvin Ramsay
Yet to train with his team-mates since making his summer move from Aberdeen, Calvin Ramsay is another member of the Liverpool squad who could be in line to feature in October as he is expected to step up his recovery over this international break.
"Calvin is still out but really getting closer and closer," said Klopp at the start of September. "For him, it was something with his back, something to do with age and growing and these kind of things. He didn’t train now properly with us, but he gets closer."
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita
As two long-term absentees of the Liverpool squad, the duo were both omitted from the club's Champions League squad earlier this month. After suffering a hamstring injury during the pre-season clash with Crystal Palace in July, Oxlade-Chamberlain is not expected to make a return to action until the end of October, at the earliest.
The same situation applies to Keita, who is suffering from a muscle issue at this moment in time. Addressing the latest on the Guinean, Klopp said: "The expected return date is somewhere in October, that's why we had to make the decision [Champions League squad]. With Ox it is the same and that's why the two boys are not in the Champions League squad because of their expected return."
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