(Reuters) – Liverpool forward Diogo Jota will resume training after their Premier League clash with Newcastle United, manager Juergen Klopp said on Tuesday, but playmaker Thiago Alcantara is not ready to return.
Jota helped Liverpool win the FA Cup and League Cup last season, and they finished second in the league behind Manchester City and reached the Champions League final which they lost to Real Madrid.
The Portugal international has been out with a hamstring injury that also curtailed his pre-season.
“Jota can train from Thursday, Thiago slightly later… (back-up goalkeeper) Kelleher is walking outside for training,” Klopp told reporters ahead of Wednesday’s clash.
Thiago featured in Liverpool’s Community Shield victory over Manchester City and a 2-2 draw with Fulham before sustaining an injury and Klopp was asked if they were looking for a midfielder before the Sept. 1 transfer deadline.
“The closer we get to the last minute… the more likely (we don’t sign one). I couldn’t give you a name,” Klopp said. “It’s difficult because for sure there a few who are right but there are different issues at clubs who don’t want to sell.
“There’s still time but when it’s over, whether someone signs or not, I’m really happy as it’s over and we can just focus on the squad we have.
“We can face the situations we have together. Our fans are active on social media so they can stop doing that. We have a good football team.”
Klopp described their 9-0 win over Bournemouth as a “freak result” and said his players were not going to get complacent after their first victory of the season.
“The boys are not dumb, we don’t expect a freakish scoreline again for obvious reasons,” Klopp added. “What I want to keep is the way we played. We played this way before but just didn’t score nine.”
(Reporting by Shrivathsa Sridhar in Bengaluru, editing by Ed Osmond)
