Liverpool manager feels defenders Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez are likely to be available for the club's Premier League opener at Norwich City.
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Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has provided an update on defenders Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez’s availability for the club’s Premier League opener at Norwich City this weekend. Both the defenders missed most of the action last season owing to injuries. The centre-backs continued their respective returns from long-term injury lay-off during the Reds’ final pre-season friendlies. Van Dijk played around 70 minutes against Athletic Club and Gomez completed an hour against CA Osasuna. Klopp feels both players will be in contention to make the XI at Carrow Road. However, the manager stressed that no final decisions on their involvement have yet been made.
“I think so, it looks like [they are available to start]. But how it is with these kind of things, we have nothing to rush in this department,” Klopp told Liverpoolfc.com. “We just have to make then a decision on who will start, who will come on, things like this and if I think they are ready for 90 minutes then they are ready to start.
“If I think we have to take them off earlier then it makes no sense because centre-half is not actually a position where you want to change during a game and so we will see. But both look really good. An intense season is coming up. We will see how we decide that.”
Klopp had selected two different teams for the back-to-back friendlies against the Spanish opposition. Following their positive outings in both those matches, the manager will find it difficult to determine the starting XI for this weekend’s Premier League opener.
Klopp added, “It does, it does. It sends a good message actually: that’s the way we have to play, that’s the way you have to perform. If you want to be in the team that’s actually the lowest level allowed and so that’s what we have to try now to figure out.
“Yesterday [Tuesday] was a day off, today [Wednesday] and tomorrow [Thursday] sessions, and then Friday the [matchday] -1, so there are some decisions to make but these decisions are for one game, not for the season. So it’s not that much a headache, to be honest.”
Meanwhile, Curtis Jones will not be available for this weekend’s Premier League opener after sustaining a concussion on Monday. The Liverpool midfielder was taken off during the first half of the pre-season friendly against CA Osasuna following a collision.
“He had a slight concussion so we just have to follow the protocol,” the manager told the club’s website on Wednesday. “He is fine, he feels fine again, but that’s the protocol. He is available for training from Sunday on I think.”
Andy Robertson will also miss the clash at Carrow Road, having suffered ankle ligament damage against Athletic Club. However, Klopp was able to state that Liverpool have no other fresh injury worries, with just days out from the beginning of the 2021-22 campaign.
“No, not from an injury point of view,” said the manager when asked for any new squad updates. “But yeah, a few players had a shorter pre-season than others. No, all the others are healthy.”
