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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Paul Gorst

Liverpool trip vital for Naby Keita future and two returning players

For some more than others, the mid-season trip to Dubai offers a real opportunity to stake a claim in this Liverpool squad.

Jurgen Klopp will be keeping a close eye on the youngsters who are part of the contingent that jets out next month, particularly given the first match back is a Carabao Cup visit to Manchester City.

But there are other, more senior members of the team who will be out to make an impression.

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And here, the ECHO looks at three in particular who will be keen to use their time in Dubai as a springboard for the rest of the campaign.

Luis Diaz

The absence of Luis Diaz since he was injured in the 3-2 defeat to Arsenal in early October has been keenly felt by Liverpool boss Klopp. The Colombian international was arguably the Reds' best outfield performer during a difficult opening two-month period of the season when the side struggled for consistency.

The injury to Diaz forced Klopp to initially tweak his tried-and-trusted 4-3-3 formation. With Diogo Jota also sidelined after pulling up in the closing stages of 1-0 win over Manchester City, Klopp adjusted to something of a diamond system with Roberto Firmino operating behind a front two of Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez.

The tweak worked perfectly at Ajax later that month when the Reds secured their passage to the last 16 of the Champions League with a 3-0 win that included goals from Nunez and Salah, but it looked far more clunky when Leeds United ended a proud unbeaten home record at Anfield that had dated back to March 2021.

Since then, Nunez has been asked to play in a wider position in the front three with Firmino and Salah and, while the Uruguayan has performed impressively of late, Diaz's absence has been frustrating for Klopp.

The former Porto winger is expected to play a part at some point during the near two-week stay in Dubai and it will be imperative for the South American as he aims to get his season back on track.

Should he suffer no setbacks in his recovery then Diaz will be part of the squads that play friendlies with Lyon and AC Milan on December 11 and 16 respectively, and it will be interesting to see how much he is able to kick on ahead of that Carabao Cup visit to City on December 22.

"We can’t wait to see him back, he is this player who smiles when he has the ball at his feet," said Liverpool assistant boss Pep Lijnders.

Like his arrival at the end of January, a fully-fit Diaz can provide the squad with so much attacking impetus for the second half of the season. His comeback could yet be the catalyst for a surge back into the top four.

Naby Keita

In a Liverpool career that has often been ravaged by a litany of injury issues, this has been Naby Keita 's worst to date. The Guinea international hasn't played a single minute since a cameo off the bench in the Community Shield in late July.

Illness was the reason cited for him missing the visit to Fulham on the opening weekend before his one sighting of the campaign saw him kicking his heels as an unused substitute in the 1-1 draw with Crystal Palace at Anfield.

Since then, Keita has been absent with what has been described as a hamstring injury, while unconfirmed reports claimed the No.8 had suffered a setback in his recovery earlier this month. Klopp, it must be stressed, has not verified that.

The Reds boss was non-committal when asked when Keita might be able to contribute late last month, saying: "Naby is still in a longer rehab phase. [A return before the World Cup] will be tight.

"I think Naby will have a full pre-season with us in December and it will be perfect for him. Even if he can play before [the World Cup] then he has no chance of being fully [match] fit. He comes out of rehab and we only have five games and I wouldn't rule him out of one or two of them but in this moment there is still a gap to fill."

Hurtling towards the final months of his five-year Liverpool deal, Keita will be free to speak to clubs outside of England in January but before then, his focus has to be on ensuring he is fit and able to contribute after another destabilising period for him.

Keita can still be a useful asset for Klopp in the second half of the campaign, regardless of longer-term plans over his wider career. But early momentum must start to be gathered in Dubai.

If Keita does harbour hopes of remaining at Liverpool beyond this summer, then he desperately needs to enjoy a strong period from Christmas onwards, which makes the mid-season tour vitally important.

Joel Matip

At a time when Ibrahima Konate has reaffirmed his importance to Klopp after an impressive run of form, Joel Matip has the chance to do exactly the same out in Dubai.

The defender has often been blighted by fitness concerns across his six years on Merseyside, but it had been hoped he was over the worst of those after he turned out 43 times in total last term.

This year has, sadly, seen Matip regress on that front, however. He has made just four Premier League appearances and has only played eight of Liverpool 's 21 games in all competitions, excluding the Community Shield.

Matip hasn't featured since the loss at Arsenal on October 9. It was a game that left Klopp counting the cost of injuries at full time given Trent Alexander-Arnold and Luis Diaz were all forced off with problems of their own and while Joe Gomez deputised with distinction in the 1-0 win over Manchester City later that month, it is Konate's comeback that puts Matip most at risk of a spell on the sidelines.

France international Konate excelled in the recent victory at Tottenham Hotspur alongside Virgil van Dijk but his participation at the Qatar World Cup gives Matip the opportunity to catch his manager's eye once more when the training begins in Dubai.

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