Liverpool injury update and return dates ahead of Carabao Cup semi-final second leg

🗣️Pep Lijnders:

🔴Lijnders on Salah:

“No-one should ever doubt the commitment of Mo Salah. I know the country is devastated losing him. The only reason the two medical teams decided for him to come back is to give him the best possible chance of being ready for the final if they get there.”

🔴Lijnders on Robertson:

“Let’s start with Robbo because he trained yesterday with the team. It’s now 13 weeks, he had his meeting with the surgeon to make sure that everything is right to go into full contact – it’s clear. So he did a lot of work and really good rehab throughout the last period, so he’s fit in terms of sports science. Now he has to get fit with proper team training.

“So that’s a big, big advantage to have him back. We were waiting for a long time – he’s one of our captains. I just met him in the canteen and he said, ‘Pep, I have my tracksuit with me!’ So he’s pushing himself into the squad, so that’s good. He will travel [to Fulham].

🔴Lijnders on Jones:

“When you play more games and when you are constantly in the team since a long, long time, you get also some small niggles. He already reported during the week some tension in his hamstring tendon. But yesterday [there were] no issues, so he was clear. And during the game it was more precautionary [because] we go 3-0 up and the guy, even if he’s young, he acts like a senior, so he made the right decision.”

🔴Lijnders on Alexander-Arnold:

“Trent is progressing well through his rehab, working hard – how he is as a guy, knowing how important the next weeks are. But he will back in the end of the week for team training, so hopefully he will be available for the FA Cup.”

🔴Lijnders on Szoboszlai:

“Dom trained yesterday with us, just one small-sided game, one-touch game, but played good, felt good, did some extra work with the sports science team. He is ready but tomorrow comes too early for him, so he will be ready for the weekend if nothing goes wrong.”

🔴Lijnders on Tsimikas:

“Kostas is now four weeks after surgery, so he needs probably two more weeks because we need to make sure that the bone is strong and the bone is healed before he goes into first-team training.”

🔴Lijnders on Jota:

“Really important. Darwin as well. It’s a sign of a good squad. A sign of the character and ambition of the players we have. When Jota is in an angry mood he can be dangerous. We have to get him in this mood as often as possible!”

🔴Lijnders on possible England call-up for Curtis Jones:

“It’s a no-brainer! With and without the ball, he’s the player who sets the tone and always shows initiative.”

🔴Lijnders:

“The work the academy is doing with the young players is so impressive.”

🔴Lijnders:

“We drove back from Bournemouth, we are a green club so we travel by train [tomorrow].”

🔴Lijnders confirms Calvin Ramsay and Nat Phillips will both be loaned out before the end of the transfer window.

Mohamed Salah helped Egypt reach the final of the Africa Cup of Nations when it was held in 2022

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah has a “proper tear in his hamstring”, says assistant manager Pep Lijnders.

Salah, 31, was replaced during Egypt’s 2-2 draw with Ghana in the Africa Cup of Nations in Ivory Coast on Thursday.

He watched from the stands as Egypt reached the last 16 thanks to a dramatic 2-2 draw with Cape Verde on Monday.

“It’s expected [he will] return in three to four weeks if everything goes smooth,” said Lijnders.

“It will go smooth and it will go right because of how we’ve treated his body before.”

Liverpool said Salah will return to the club on Wednesday for an “intensive rehabilitation programme”.

They said his injury was “worse than first feared”, but he will be treated with a “view to being back in action as soon as possible for club and country, giving him the best chance to return to compete at Afcon”.

On Sunday Egypt play the runners-up in Group F for a place in the quarter-finals. The final takes place on 8 February.

On Sunday Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said it “makes sense” for Salah to do his rehabilitation at the club and rejoin Egypt if he recovers in time and they remain in the competition.

“I always said before what I’m really happy about is the medical team of Egypt and the medical team of Liverpool really worked together and were in close contact and both made this decision,” said Lijnders.

“It’s an example of how international football and club football should operate to put the player in the centre.”

Egypt’s record appearance-maker Ahmed Hassan has said Salah should stay with the team “even if he only had one leg to stand on”.

“The one you should never doubt the commitment of is Mo Salah,” said Lijnders.

“I know the country is devastated to lose him. He is massive. The only reason ours and their medical team decided for him to come back is to give the best chance to make the final if Egypt reach it.”

The most recent of Egypt’s seven Africa Cup of Nations titles came in 2010, a year before Salah made his debut. Egypt were runners-up in 2017 and 2021.

Salah scored a late penalty to help Egypt draw 2-2 with Mozambique in their opening game.

He said this week that Egypt will win the Africa Cup of Nations “sooner or later”.

“I would love to win it,” he said. “It will happen somehow – that is what I believe. Whatever I believe, I achieve.

“I have won everything possible but this one, not yet. Everybody knows what it means to any player to win an Africa Cup.”