Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has clarified that midfielder Thiago Alcantara is a still some weeks away from a return from the injury he sustained in the Merseyside derby back in October.
Thiago arrived at Anfield to much fanfare during the summer, with the Reds sealing an inital £20m deal for the Champions League-winning Spain international.
However, the midfielder's start was disrupted by a COVID diagnosis in September, while he then suffered a knee injury late on in the 2-2 draw with Everton - an incident for which Richarlison was shown a straight red card.
Thiago has not played since that game on 17 October, while Liverpool have been coy on providing specific updates on the nature of his injury, or a potential return date.
Speaking ahead of the Champions League clash with Ajax on Tuesday, Klopp conceded that Thiago is still some way away from making a comeback.
“Thiago we have to maybe clarify it a little bit," Klopp is quoted as saying, via Liverpoolfc.com.
“On that day when Thiago got injured in that challenge in the Everton game, there was another bad injury [to Virgil van Dijk] and after the scans it was like one was really bad news and the other one was really good news because nothing was broken, nothing was ruptured and stuff like this.
?️ ??? ??????????@Andy_Headspeath & @AlexPurdy21 are joined by @em_sandy to discuss how pleased they are for Bobby Firmino to get a voodoo off his back! ?#LFC | #SubscribeNow ?
— 90min (@90min_Football) November 24, 2020
“But, as we realise now, it was still a massive impact on the knee. The problem is in a situation like that, nothing is ruptured and nothing is broken and that means everybody thinks, 'OK, you can go after a few days’, but the impact on the leg was that big that it is still not OK.
“It is not massive and he trains from time to time, not in the moment because we just have to realise that we have to go a few further steps. I can’t say exactly when he will be fine, but it will take a few weeks still with Thiago.”
Thiago is, of course, far from Liverpool's only injury issue currently. Klopp also provided a brief update on Virgil van Dijk, who is likely to miss the rest of the 2020/21 season having undergone knee surgery for the injury he sustained in the same game as Thiago.
Klopp on VVD: "Of course we are in contact. Considering the circumstances he is doing well but the knee doesn’t look good. It doesn’t look how a knee should but looks okay considering the surgery he had."
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) November 30, 2020
"Of course we are in contact [with Van Dijk]," Klopp said, via The Athletic's James Pearce. "Considering the circumstances he is doing well but the knee doesn’t look good.
"It doesn’t look how a knee should but looks okay considering the surgery he had."
Along with Van Dijk and Thiago, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Joe Gomez, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and James Milner will all miss the home game against Ajax, while centre back Nat Phillips is ineligible.
Source: 90min
