Ryan Gravenberch’s issue is not as serious as first feared (Picture: Getty Images)
Liverpool assistant Pep Lijnders expects to have Ryan Gravenberch, Alexis Mac Allister and Diogo Jota back ahead of schedule, with the Dutch midfielder only suffering from fatigue.
The Merseysiders have been hit with a number of injuries ahead of a crunch week that sees them take on Newcastle United in the quarter-final of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday night before Premier League leaders Arsenal visit Anfield on Saturday evening.
Mac Allister has a knee injury that has seen him miss the last three matches, Diogo Jota has a hamstring issue, Joel Matip tore his ACL while the likes of Thiago and Stefan Bajcetic have also been missing.
But Lijnders is hopeful some of Liverpool’s injured stars are not too far away from a return, while Gravenberch – who hobbled off against Manchester United – should be fit to face Arsenal.
‘We thought there was really something, he [Gravenberch] came off during the game and you saw immediately when he came off what that did to the team as well, he was playing really well,’ Lijnders told Liverpool’s website.
‘Especially against these man-marking sides he plays unbelievable. But he had a scan and it’s only DOMS [delayed onset muscle soreness], which is fatigue, so that’s a really good thing.
‘He will train hopefully today, let’s see where he is. We have to be careful of course because that’s a sign. So that’s a good one.’
Mac Allister is progressing well but needs a few more weeks (Picture: Getty)
Asked if Gravenberch might even play against Newcastle on Wednesday, the Liverpool assistant explained: ‘It’s like this, if a player is fatigued and he comes off there is something, but there’s no muscle tear, nothing in the muscle – but the muscle is fatigued, because he feels something.
‘So we have to be careful. But as I said before, he can train hopefully today and then we have to judge it, but especially he has to judge it himself.
‘I can’t see why he would not be available for the next week, so let’s see tomorrow. The games come too quick!’
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Lijnders was also positive on Mac Allister and Jota, though they will not be back in time to face Arsenal, continuing: ‘Alexis is progressing well, he doesn’t have pain anymore, which is a good thing. It was worse than we first thought, but he is progressing well, no pain. Let’s see if we can progress him.
‘Diogo is doing ball work on the pitch so that is getting closer and closer. But always with hamstring injuries you have to be careful, we always say when they come back give them another two or three days for sure.’
Asked for a timescale on Mac Allister’s return to action, Lijnders replied: ‘It will go into the new year but that could be possible, and we play on 1 January so let’s see.’
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