Jurgen Klopp is hopeful Naby Keita could be fit to face Fulham after illness, but admitted Liverpool are set to be without Ibrahima Konate ‘for a while’ after he was forced off against Strasbourg last week.
The Reds have suffered a number of injury setbacks during pre-season, with the likes of Diogo Jota and Caoimhin Kelleher reporting back injured following international duty, and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain set to be out until October after injuring his hamstring.
But Klopp confirmed such injuries won’t alter his transfer plans during the final month of the window, with Liverpool believed to be done in terms of incoming business, as he offered an update ahead of the trip to Craven Cottage.
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“We have too many injuries, that’s true, but in the moment, nothing has changed,” Klopp told reporters. “A lot of unlucky situations. It started with Caoimhin, it started with Diogo. One was injured, the other got re-injured. It’s not 100% clear when, there is no criticism.
“Both were with the international team, there is a diagnosis. We get the diagnosis, we trust the diagnosis. But you are not in the full process all the time, the national team takes over in moments and we try to step in as early as possible. Caoimhin is still a few weeks away.
“For Diogo, it was slightly too early or the injury was different in the first place. In a few weeks’ time they will be back but they weren’t in pre-season, which is not cool. Ibou, in a challenge in the game against Strasbourg. What happened there, we have to see how long it’ll take but he’s out for a while.
“We hope with Curtis we caught it in the right moment. It’s how it is with young players. They have stress reactions some time and they go over it. There’s not massive pain but it could lead to something serious. We caught it early but we still have to be careful. He’s not in.
“Oxlade of course, it’s not cool. We cannot sort a problem we have for four weeks with a transfer for a full year. That makes, in the moment at least, no sense for us. But the transfer window is still open, so we will see. But the plan won’t go in that direction.”
While Liverpool will be without a number of players, Klopp was hopeful Keita could return after illness against Fulham, and revealed Kostas Tsimikas could return to training next week.
“Kostas was unlucky in a training situation,” he said. “I just saw him now out on the pitch. He might be, in his opinion anyway, he might be ready to train next week which is helpful.
“Ali is fine. Naby’s ill. I think he will be back today, the first day. I underestimated it a little bit, I said he’d be fine. He came yesterday and still had some little symptoms. Not Covid but not right. I guess he will be back today.”
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