Liverpool will be without at least seven senior players for the restart of the Premier League season – with Jurgen Klopp keeping his fingers crossed more are not absent due to the virus sweeping through the club.
James Milner is likely to miss the festive campaign after suffering a hamstring injury during Thursday’s Carabao Cup defeat at Manchester City, a game Roberto Firmino missed after picking up a calf problem during training earlier in the week.
Luis Diaz, Diogo Jota and on-loan Arthur Melo are long-term absentees, and with World Cup finalist Ibrahima Konate and injured Curtis Jones not resuming training until next week, Klopp’s selection options have become limited ahead of the Boxing Day visit to Aston Villa.
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“Milly will be out for a couple of games,” said the Reds boss on Friday. “Same for Bobby. Bobby is already on the better side of it.
“It was only a few days ago and it’s not a major thing, so we will look day by day with him.”
Liverpool have not been immune to the viruses affecting a significant proportion of the population at present, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and a number of the backroom staff struck down.
Oxlade-Chamberlain was fit enough to appear in the second half against City while Klopp is hopeful Alexander-Arnold will return at Villa Park along with Virgil van Dijk, who was given an extended break after his World Cup exertions with the Netherlands.
But the Reds boss admits he is braced for Liverpool’s preparations for Aston Villa to be affected by illness.
“Ox is fine,” said Klopp. “He was ill, like Trent. Some of the staff as well. That’s why we have to be careful at the moment like everybody, I think it’s going around.
“It has made planning really difficult for the next game. We were 100% clear of what we wanted to do against City and then we had to change at the last second pretty much. That’s not cool, but it’s the situation.
“That might happen against Aston Villa as well. We need to stay flexible. Virg has trained completely normal so will be there, Trent hopefully will be better. He wasn’t part of a full session but has been in parts, so let’s see who this develops.”
And asked when Konate is expected to be back training with Liverpool, Klopp added: “His first session will be 27th.”
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