Liverpool’s manager Jurgen Klopp has not given up on Georginio Wijnaldum and Adam Lallana returning to the side for the clash against Manchester United. The German was speaking at a press conference and said that he had not taken a decision on the duo.
Lallana had picked up a groin injury against Swansea prior to the international break. The Englishman did not feature in any of England’s games during the break while Wijnaldum’s hamstring injury took place when the Netherlands played France in a World Cup qualifier.
The duo have been an irreplaceable part of the Liverpool midfield and have formed a great partnership with Jordan Henderson.
Klopp was quoted by the Liverpool Echo when asked about the condition of the injuries in the squad.
“Not too bad but it’s a question of perspective I would say.
“In this moment we don’t know exactly who is available. We all know about the issues obviously from Gini and Adam, but both not ruled out for Monday I would say. But of course four sessions to go sounds long, but it’s only four sessions. We have to see.
“I don’t need to make a decision now so I can wait until I make my final decision. We will have a really good team on the pitch I’m sure.”
Playing on Monday a blessing in disguise
While many would be upset of the fact that one of the biggest games takes place on a Monday, Klopp would be pleased. Brazilian duo Roberto Firmino and Philippe Coutinho were in action for the national team. And the extra 24 hours will surely help them recover for the big clash against Manchester United.
The Brazilian pair took part in the game against Bolivia and had to deal with a 13,000-mile trip to cover games against Venezuela as well. Coutinho in fact, played both games and the duo even managed to get on the score sheet against Bolivia.
Klopp did speak about the extra rest day and how it might help his side out.
“Of course it’s a big impact (the extra days). But that also means we’ve got four sessions to go before Monday night, that means a lot of things can happen.”
The German manager was wily enough not to give away any team news and even stated that he is unsure of the condition of the Brazilian pair.
“I’ve made no decision until now but they came back, they did what they had to do until now. Roberto could to do a little bit more in the last session, Phil played nearly two complete games so he’s had only recovery after a long, long flight even though the club did everything to bring them as comfortable as possible back to England.
“But it’s a long trip, right, and that’s still in their legs of course but each day, each hour helps until the next game so playing on Monday is an advantage in this case.”
Replacements for Lallana and Wijnaldum
Liverpool would be hopeful that Lallana and Wijnaldum are fit for the game against Manchester United. The duo have been on fire this season and if they do miss out, it will hurt the creativity of the team.
Bringing in players such as Emre Can and Daniel Sturridge will obviously impact the team. But Klopp will hope that any player that does come in can step up and help the Reds to victory.
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