Liverpool’s injury list is gradually beginning to clear somewhat after a torrid couple of months on that front.
Mo Salah and Dominik Szoboszlai already returned to action before the international break, while Curtis Jones, Andy Robertson, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota could all be back over the next fortnight.
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Reporting for The Athletic on Thursday afternoon, James Pearce also signalled good news over Alisson Becker, who’s missed nearly two months with a hamstring injury.
Liverpool’s first-choice goalkeeper is eyeing a return for mid-April, which means he could potentially be back for the Premier League clash against Crystal Palace on the 14th of that month, or the Europa League quarter-final second leg away to Atalanta four days later.
When news of Alisson’s injury came to light just after the defeat to Arsenal in early February, amid Jurgen Klopp’s assertion that it was ‘rather serious’ (Evening Standard), Liverpool fans may have been banging their heads off the nearest wall in frustration.
Replacing one of the world’s best players in that position is no mean feat, but Caoimhin Kelleher has stepped up commendably over the past couple of months, most notably with a heroic performance in the Carabao Cup final triumph over Chelsea.
Indeed, the Irishman has performed to such a standard that the question has even been floated in some quarters as to whether he’ll keep his place in the team after the Brazil international is cleared to return.
As outstanding as the 25-year-old has been, it’s hard to imagine Klopp voluntarily leaving Alisson on the bench for the run-in to the season, except possibly for Liverpool’s Europa League fixtures.
In just a couple of weeks’ time, the Reds manager will be faced with one of the most pleasant selection headaches in English football when selecting between his main two goalkeepers. It may well have some of his Premier League peers looking on with deep envy.
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