Liverpool have been dealing with the absence of Thiago Alcantara due to injury over the last few weeks.
The Reds midfielder has been sidelined with a hip flexor injury since the 2-0 win over Everton in the Premier League in the middle of February. Thiago has since not taken part in training or been pictured at the AXA Training Centre.
Jurgen Klopp will hope to have the midfielder back available as soon as possible to help the club climb into the Premier League’s top four. The Reds are currently in sixth place and seven points adrift of fourth-placed Tottenham Hotspur with two games in hand.
Thiago has often been an important player for Liverpool since his arrival in 2020, and with that in mind the ECHO takes a look at the latest regarding his injury, including a possible return date, what Klopp has said, and more.
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What Jurgen Klopp has said about Thiago Alcantara
Jurgen Klopp stated before Liverpool’s win over Everton in February that Thiago would be ruled out for “a while” with an injury. It was later confirmed that the midfielder suffered a hip flexor injury.
Klopp said in February: "Obviously the Thiago situation is not cool for us, he’ll be out for a while with a problem and so we had to make one decision at least, so we made two."
A month later, before Liverpool played Bournemouth in the Premier League, Klopp stated that Thiago was yet to train with the team.
Klopp said on March 10: "Thiago we will see. None of them (Luis Diaz and Joe Gomez) trained yet with the team and then we will see how that develops in the next couple of weeks and we will know more.”
Gomez later returned to training before Liverpool’s second leg against Real Madrid in the Champions League.
What Thiago Alcantara has said about his injury
Thiago has not spoken publicly about his injury, but he has posted a video on his Instagram account.
The Spaniard posted a video of himself working in the gym with an exercise to help his hip injury. Thiago was working alongside a personal trainer.
Thiago has made 24 appearances so far for Liverpool this season, but has had two stints sidelined with injury. In total he has now missed 15 fixtures this term, and that number could rise after the international break.
Possible return date for Thiago Alcantara
Liverpool and Klopp are yet to put a fixed return date for Thiago to become available for selection.
The Reds are due to face Manchester City in the Premier League on April 1 in their first match back after the international break. In order for Thiago to have a chance, he would need to return to training in the week leading up to the trip to the Etihad Stadium.
Klopp likes to have players take part in at least two full training sessions before making them eligible to play. So Thiago faces an uphill task to be available to play for Liverpool’s trip to Man City next month.
After that, Liverpool are on the road again as they take on Chelsea on April 4. Then comes an Anfield clash against league leaders Arsenal on April 9.
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Liverpool face up to Thiago Alcantara reality as injury problem becomes clear
