Liverpool made a victorious return to the Premier League on Saturday, defeating Wolverhampton Wanderers 3-1 at Molineux.
In addition to the win, which saw Liverpool briefly reclaim first place in the Premier League table for the first time since May 2022, there were positives for Jurgen Klopp to grasp as Ibrahima Konate returned from injury.
The Frenchman missed last month’s victories against Newcastle United and Aston Villa due to a hamstring injury suffered against Bournemouth, which prompted him to withdraw from France’s team for their September internationals.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Alexander-Arnold is presently recovering from a slight hamstring injury suffered in the dying minutes of Liverpool’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa last month. As a result, the 24-year-old, who had been substituted by Jarell Quansah that afternoon at Anfield, was left out of England’s team for their upcoming international matches against Ukraine and Scotland.
Last week, though, there was an encouraging update on the right-back’s position when he was spotted wearing boots at the AXA Training Centre on Thursday. Alexander-Arnold, on the other hand, did not participate in any team training sessions prior to Saturday’s trip to Molineux.
In his pre-match press conference on Friday, Klopp expressed his desire for Alexander-Arnold to resume ball training at the Reds’ Kirkby base before the Reds’ journey to Austria to face LASK on Thursday. Although it is exceedingly improbable that he will be part of the Reds’ traveling contingent.
“He hasn’t trained with the team yet and will need some time.” “It’s not the worst hamstring injury in the world, but it’s a hamstring injury, and they only heal in two weeks,” Klopp told reporters on September 15. “He’s already running; we’re hoping he can start ball work early next week.”
Thiago Alcantara
Meanwhile, Thiago is still waiting to make his Premier League debut after experiencing a setback in his rehabilitation from hip surgery.
The Spaniard has not played for the Reds since April’s 2-1 triumph over West Ham United, but he was spotted back in training earlier this month, with Klopp expressing hope that he will be available after the September international break.
However, the Reds manager confirmed on Friday that Thiago was only running at the AXA Centre and was not doing any ball work individually or with the rest of the group.
Thiago appears to be a doubt for Thursday’s Europa League match against LASKin Austria.
The expected return date is unknown.
Conor Bradley
Conor Bradley suffered a stress fracture in his back after showing early promise.
He will be out for three months, with his inclusion in squads likely to be supervised to avoid further problems.
With pre-season performances in Germany, the teenage full-back showed promise, playing 90 minutes in two games. Following a slight, unidentified injury, he was left out of the group that traveled to Singapore, and he has not appeared in any matchday squads since the start of the season.
The anticipated return date is November/December.
Virgil Van Dijk
Virgil van Dijk has missed Liverpool’s last two Premier League games due to suspension after being sent off in last month’s last-gasp triumph at St James’ Park.
The Reds skipper was initially given a one-game suspension for a late challenge on Alexander Isak, but was later suspended for another game after admitting to an FA charge for his response to being shown a red card by referee John Brooks.
Because Saturday’s trip to Molineux was his final punishment, he will be ready for Sunday’s Premier League game against West Ham United. He could possibly make his Europa League debut against LASK on Thursday.