Five things spotted from Liverpool’s open training session on Wednesday ahead of their Europa League clash with Union Saint-Gilloise at Anfield
Nunez knee troubles
During the open training session on Wednesday, there was a visible strapping around the right knee of striker Darwin Nunez. The Uruguayan was a notable absentee from Klopp’s starting XI against Tottenham.
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The Liverpool boss admitted that Nunez missed out on making the line-up after his knee problem picked up during the international break continued. How much of a concern the issue is remains to be seen but whatever it is, the Uruguayan is showing that it isn’t hampering him too much.
Nunez has been impressive in form for the Reds and is staking a claim to be a regular starter following a sometimes difficult debut season at Anfield. With Brighton & Hove Albion and another round of international fixtures with Marcelo Bielsa’s Uruguay fast approaching, it’ll be interesting and also important to see how he is managed in the bid to avoid further damage to his knee.
Midfielders missing
There were two notable absentees from the open training session.
Thiago Alcantara was missing as he continues his recovery from hip surgery. The midfielder, who has not featured since the 2-1 win over West Ham United in April, suffered a setback in his rehabilitation last month. However, in the build-up to Liverpool’s recent Carabao Cup third-round victory over Leicester City, assistant manager Pep Ljinders confirmed that the healing process is “going well.”
A player who made their return in the victory over LASK was Stefan Bajcetic. However, he has been unavailable since his cameo in the win over Leicester after he too suffered a setback.
Red-card duo involved
Going into the final two games before the international break, Klopp faces a selection conundrum between Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota.
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Cody Gakpo won’t be able to play until at least mid-October, but Jota will be joining him on the bench for the trip to AMEX Stadium on Sunday. After receiving a red card against Spurs for a second bookable offense, the Portuguese will miss one match against Brighton.
Jones, meanwhile, will be eager to face Union on the field. After receiving a red card on Saturday, he might receive a three-game domestic man punishment.
The Liverpudlian will require competitive minutes after missing Premier League games against Brighton, Everton, and Nottingham Forest.
Three youngsters involved
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The wait for Bobby Clark’s bow in the Europa League continues. The midfielder has been one of the key members of Barry Lewtas’ Under-21s side after enjoying pre-season with the first team. But he was absent from the open training session.
His former youth team-mates Jarell Quansah and Ben Doak have enjoyed playing time in the Europa League and Carabao Cup already this season and both were involved in Wednesday’s session, along with Luke Chambers, who was wearing a training top numbered 24 – as opposed to his squad number 44.
Doak follows Salah
Doak will be hoping for another start after playing the first hour against LASK.
During the open training session, the young Scot was behind Mohamed Salah as they were put through their paces in the warm-up. While the 18-year-old has some way to go to reach the standard of the Egyptian, there isn’t many better examples to follow.
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