Liverpool handed unexpected triple boost ahead of Huddersfield clash

Jurgen Klopp has been handed three welcome pieces of injury news ahead of Liverpool’s return to Premier League action on Saturday.

The Premier League title chasers were seemingly heading into the Saturday evening trip to Huddersfield without the services of four players, after Sadio Mane (broken thumb) joined James Milner, Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk on the injury list.

But after Holland coach Ronald Koeman confirmed that Van Dijk was expected to be OK for the match and his absence against Belgium on Tuesday evening was only due to an agreement with the Reds, Liverpool have also reported two other pieces of good news around their walking wounded.

Milner was expected to be sidelined for around a month after sustaining a hamstring injury in the 0-0 draw against Manchester City just prior to the international break, but the veteran midfielder has made a quicker than expected recovery and could now come into contention for the match against David Wagner’s side.

Salah, meanwhile, was also expected to be absent with a hamstring injury sustained while on international duty with Egypt, but after returning to Merseyside for an assessment, the Reds medical staff do not believe the muscle strain in serious. It’s reported Salah could return to training before the end of the week, though Klopp might use the match as a chance to use his squad with the likes of Daniel Sturridge and Xherdan Shaqiri both waiting in the wings for starts.

Klopp, however, will also likely be without Mane, who was taken to hospital after sustaining a broken thumb while training with Senegal.

The news was broken by Senegalese journalist Mootaz Chehade, who showed pictures of Mane – and the results of his X-ray – from his trip to hospital.

Early reports state that while the injury is not serious, it will force him to miss Senegal’s match as well as Saturday’s clash at the John Smith’s Stadium.

 

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