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Liverpool Echo
Liverpool Echo
Sport
Keifer MacDonald

Midfielder absent from full training as Liverpool continue preparations in Dubai

Curtis Jones was not involved in Liverpool's team training on Wednesday and instead trained separately.

On Monday afternoon, manager Jurgen Klopp, his staff and 33 players jetted off to Dubai, where they will be based for just over a week as they partake in the Dubai Super Cup with fixtures against Lyon and AC Milan pencilled in.

During Liverpool's first full day of training at the state-of-the-art NAS Sports Complex, both Naby Keita and Luis Diaz trained with the rest of their team-mates in a bid to build up their fitness ahead of the League Cup quarter-final clash with Manchester City on December 22. Both players were long-term absentees after suffering injuries in August and October respectively.

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However, on Wednesday morning Jones was an unexplained absentee as he trained away from the rest of his team-mates and instead featured in a lighter session with Dr David Rydings, the club's rehabilitation fitness coach. The 21-year-old wore trainers and carried out running exercises.

Jones was not shown in any of the team sessions on Monday, either, even as 28 of the 33 members of the camp were pictured carrying out a light yoga session afterwards.

The England Under-21 international, who signed a new long-term contract with Liverpool last month, has endured an injury-hit campaign as he was halted by a three-month battle with what Klopp had described as a "stress reaction" in his leg.

Initially picking up the injury against Manchester City in the Community Shield, Jones made his return for the clash against Newcastle United at the end of August before being ruled out until mid-October with the issue.

"I was out for 10 weeks," Jones told reporters in October. "It was a stress response. It was basically swelling in the bone. But if you carry on with it, it can go to a fracture and then a break. It was the first time I’d had anything like that, to be honest. Touch wood this doesn’t change, but I’m a kid who never gets injured. I don’t pull hamstrings, quads, calves, stuff like that.

"When I’ve been injured, it’s been like a freak one. I was poked in the eye last season and out for six weeks, and this season I had a stress response in the bone. I was out for four weeks, I came back and trained twice, felt it again and was out for another six. It was a difficult time, but now I’m back I’m happy and I have a point to prove."

Jones added: "I felt it after the Community Shield. I was having pain in my calves, then after that game I had a different pain, like an ache inside the bone. I went for a scan and they said it was a stress response. It’s rare, so I guess I was unfortunate, but now I just have to try and kick on, put it right behind me."

Liverpool face Ligue 1 side Lyon on Sunday afternoon in their first game of the Dubai Super Cup.

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