Liverpool were back in training on Thursday as their preparations ahead of their Premier League opener away at Fulham continued.
The Reds kick-start their campaign in Saturday’s lunchtime kick-off at Craven Cottage, and Jurgen Klopp ’s side were in good spirits at the AXA Training Centre in Kirkby with the start of the new campaign firmly in their sights.
With doubts over a number of his players ahead of Liverpool ’s trip to the capital, Klopp will offer an injury update at his pre-match press conference on Friday morning. However, while a number of players remained absent on Thursday, the Reds did welcome one star back to training.
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Ali’s back!
Alisson Becker hasn’t featured for the Reds since their opening pre-season friendly against Manchester United after suffering an abdominal injury. However, Klopp had previously confirmed the Brazilian would return in time to reclaim his place for the trip to Fulham.
Sure enough, the shot-stopper was back in action as he was pictured training with Adrian on Thursday, suggesting he indeed remains on course to feature at Craven Cottage. Meanwhile, despite speculation suggesting that he had suffered an injury in training, Thiago Alcantara was also involved in Liverpool’s latest session.
Octet absent
While Alisson was back in training, the Reds were still without a number of players on Thursday. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, Diogo Jota and Caoimhin Kelleher had already all been ruled out of Saturday’s Premier League opener, while reports on Thursday claimed Curtis Jones would also be sidelined with a calf injury against the Cottagers.
As a result, the quartet were all absent, but they weren’t the only players missing. Ibrahima Konate also wasn’t pictured, after picking up a knock against Strasbourg on Sunday, while Kostas Tsimikas and Calvin Ramsay were also still missing. Meanwhile, Naby Keita wasn’t involved after being struck down by illness over the weekend.
Youngsters involved
With the start of the Premier League season nearly upon us, the pre-season audition of a number of Liverpool’s youngsters to catch Klopp’s eye is nearly over. Yet it looks like Stefan Bajcetic has done enough to keep his place with the seniors after the 17-year-old was again involved on Thursday.
An impressive performer throughout pre-season, he’s likely to predominantly play for the Under-21s this season but his continued involvement with the first team reiterates how highly he is rated by club bosses.
Meanwhile, despite speculation about his future, Sepp van den Berg also trained with the Dutchman perhaps on standby to cover any potential Konate absence if needed.
Keep it up, Klopp
While Jurgen Klopp is one of the best managers in the world these days, he originally made his name as a second division player with Mainz. And while he could only dream of being good enough to have played for his current side, he showed he still has it when showing off some silky skills in training.
Performing a number of keep-ups, he was pictured controlling the ball on his chest and trapping it with his heel before returning to his traditional place on the sideline as his squad got to work.
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