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After an international break filled with dread and fears of more injuries with every passing day, Liverpool finally have their squad back together at their new training centre in Kirkby.
Jurgen Klopp's side have been desperately unlucky this season, having lost their first-choice centre-back pairing to potentially season-ending injuries. Virgil van Dijk ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament, while Joe Gomez has a torn patellar tendon.
Thus far, Liverpool have refused to put a timeline on the return of either player to first-team action, but both are likely to miss a bulk, if not all, of the remainder of the 2020-21 season.
In his pre-match press conference ahead of Liverpool's Premier League clash against Leicester City on Sunday, Jurgen Klopp offered updates on the availability of several players for the game.
Henderson, Alexander-Arnold ruled out of Leicester City clash
Liverpool manager Klopp has confirmed that both Jordan Henderson and Trent Alexander-Arnold will miss Sunday's game against Leicester City at Anfield.
Henderson withdrew from the England squad in the week, after having to come off at half-time in the Three Lions' loss to Belgium in Leuven on Sunday.
England manager Gareth Southgate said that Henderson had felt a bit of tightness, and that was why he had to be taken off at half-time in that game.
Alexander-Arnold was injured in Liverpool's last game before the international break - the 1-1 draw against Manchester City. He had to be substituted in the second half of that match with a calf injury.
The Liverpool Echo have reported that Alexander-Arnold could face up to three more weeks on the sidelines.
Fabinho and Thiago "close" to first-team return
Jurgen Klopp refused to rule midfielders Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara out of contention for Sunday's game against Leicester City.
"They are in a good way. They are all closer but we will see if it is close enough for the weekend," Klopp said.
Thiago hasn't featured for Liverpool since injuring his ankle after receiving a heavy tackle form Richarlison in last month's Merseyside Derby, while Fabinho picked up a hamstring injury during the UEFA Champions League game against Midtjylland last month.
Klopp also said that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is nearing a first-team return, with the Englishman not having played a single minute of football so far this season.
Mohamed Salah to return to Liverpool on Friday
Despite still not testing negative for COVID-19, Mohamed Salah is set to return to Liverpool in a private flight on a specially-prepared plane on Friday, according to the Liverpool Echo.
"We are obviously in close contact with him all of the time and, how it always is in these cases, in the moment when you have a negative test then the process really starts. He’s in a good place, he feels well, no symptoms, so that is all fine," Klopp said in his press conference.
However, even if Salah tests negative immediately on his return to Liverpool, he will miss the game against Leicester City because Premier League protocols mandate a ten-day period of isolation for a player who has tested positive for COVID-19.
