Liverpool look set to see their Premier League title charge boosted by several key injury returns over the coming weeks.
It has been a fairytale start to life at Anfield for Jurgen Klopp’s successor Arne Slot, whose Reds side went into the final international break of 2024 sitting five points clear at the Premier League summit in addition to topping the Champions League standings and reaching the Carabao Cup quarter-finals.
Such achievements have come despite some unfortunate injury luck, with the likes of Alisson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota all sidelined of late along with summer signing Federico Chiesa and Harvey Elliott.
But all of those players now appear to be on the comeback trail as Liverpool prepare to return to action away at Southampton on Sunday before the small matter of back-to-back meetings with Real Madrid and Manchester City, with the first Merseyside derby of the season also fast approaching.
Virgil van Dijk
Liverpool captain Virgil van Dijk injury has been sent home from the Netherlands camp during the international break, prompting injury fears.
Vn Dijk and midfielder Frenkie de Jong were on Monday released early and told to return to their clubs and will play no part of the final Nations League group game against Bosnia & Herzegovina.
Explaining the decision, Netherlands head coach Ronald Koeman said: "For both Frenkie and Virgil, it is better for them to leave the training camp at this time.
"That decision was made on medical grounds, with the interests of the players paramount, of course."
Van Dijk played the full 90 minutes of Saturday’s 4-0 win over Hungary in Amsterdam and this decision is expected to be with workload management in mind, rather than for any injury.
Potential return date: Sunday November 24, vs Southampton
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Alexander-Arnold started Liverpool’s final match before the international break against Aston Villa as usual, but limped off midway through the first half of a 2-0 win at Anfield after appearing to suffer a hamstring issue.
Slot admitted afterwards that it was never good news when a player asked to come off themselves due to injury, expressing doubt that the right-back would be able to play for England in their latest Nations League games against Greece and the Republic of Ireland.
Alexander-Arnold was among nine total withdrawals from interim manager Lee Carsley’s final Three Lions squad, but reports quickly stated that he would only be sidelined for around two weeks after scans revealed a low-grade problem.
Depending on how the injury has healed during the international break, Alexander-Arnold could be available for Liverpool’s trip to St Mary’s on Sunday.
Potential return date: Sunday November 24, vs Southampton
Alisson
Liverpool posted footage of Alisson back in training this week, representing a major boost for the club.
“First of all, Alisson needs to become fit,” Slot said earlier in November. “I have always been quite clear, that’s always been the position of Alisson.
“He is and will be our first goalkeeper if he is fit. But first he needs to be fit.
“But Caoimh has done outstanding, last season and this season again as well but the moment Alisson is fit, he will be our first goalkeeper.”
Potential return date: Sunday November 24, vs Southampton
Diogo Jota
Liverpool’s influential Portuguese forward last played on October 20, when he was forced off after half an hour of the 2-1 win over Chelsea at Anfield.
Jota has missed the last six games across all competitions with a chest injury suffered after Blues defender Tosin Adarabioyo accidentally landed on him.
Slot said before the win over Villa that Jota would be back a week or two after the international break, a timeline which would see him miss out against Southampton but likely return against either Real Madrid or Manchester City.
“We expect him back after the international break… the first weeks after the international break we expect him back,” Slot said.
On the specifics of Jota’s injury, Slot added: “I always say in Holland there is privacy about this and I don’t know how it is over here. Like I just said, he will be back one or two weeks after the international break.”
Potential return date: Wednesday November 27, vs Real Madrid
Federico Chiesa
It’s been a frustrating beginning to his Liverpool career for summer signing Chiesa, who has been restricted to just 76 minutes across all competitions since his cut-price move from Juventus.
The injury-plagued winger has not featured at all since making his lone start in the 5-1 Carabao Cup rout of West Ham back on September 25, though Slot said earlier in November that he hoped Chiesa would be in a position to play after the international break.
“I would not use the word concern but it is far from ideal for him and us," Slot said. "Because with the injury of Diogo, we have four attackers available, so this could have been a great moment for him to get more playing time.
"It is difficult for a player who missed out on pre-season and playing pre-season games and training sessions. You have to give a player more time to get to the intensity levels.
"It is a difficult balance to get him where we want but we are trying and he is trying everything he can to get to these levels. Once he is at that physical level we will benefit from having him.
"At this moment we expect him back during the international break and then he should be with us after the international break normally."
Potential return date: Sunday November 24, vs Southampton
Harvey Elliott
Midfielder Elliott’s season has yet to get going, having fractured his foot during a training session with the England Under-21s back in September.
However, the former Fulham youngster was back in training at Kirkby last week and could be back involved after the international break.
Potential return date: Sunday November 24, vs Southampton
