There are no new injury concerns for Liverpool going into their clash with Manchester United but Jurgen Klopp will be without at least six players as the road to recovery begins for defender Joel Matip.

Round 17 of the Premier League will witness the big battle between Liverpool and Man United. The situation of the two teams is completely different at this time. The Kop took the top spot in the rankings and had a strong resurgence. Meanwhile, the Red Devils are losing their way under the leadership of Erik ten Hag.

With the opportunity to rest a number of first-teamers over Union SG, it appears that Liverpool came through unscathed and Klopp will have options at his disposal apart from the returning casualties and long-term injuries.

The first face to mention is defender Matip, he successfully underwent surgery on an anterior cruciate ligament injury after he was forced off during the 4-3 win over Fulham in early December. The 32-year-old veteran will sit out until the end of the season.

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While Stefan Bajcetic remains one of the long-term absentees, it was a welcome sight to see Thiago Alcantara in pictures at the AXA Training Centre as he posed alongside Salah celebrating his latest landmark. The Spanish midfielder has yet to make an appearance for the Reds this season, with his last coming in April against West Ham.

Klopp expressed his excitement at the prospect of the 32-year-old returning to first-team training last week. He said: “It’s an ongoing thing.

“And we cannot put any kind of pressure there as well, but we expect him to be back probably start of the New Year. It’s now already November, that would mean another four weeks, I would say that’s probably a realistic thing to try.”

Andy Robertson is also getting closer, hoping to make a comeback from a shoulder injury in the New Year. The Scotland captain hasn’t played since the 2-2 draw with Brighton & Hove Albion in October due to surgery for an injury sustained while serving with the Tartan Army internationally.

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Diogo Jota and Alexis Mac Allister are still in the Liverpool treatment room. Jota was substituted out of the 1-1 draw with Manchester City before the hour mark, but it seems too early to include him in the match against Manchester United.

Mac Allister will miss the visit of Erik ten Hag’s side as he continues his recovery from a heavy tackle in the win over Sheffield United a week ago.

“I am obviously not a doctor but they have explained it to me every single day why he is not ready yet and it’s a bit more tricky than we thought in the first moment,” Klopp said on Wednesday.