Liverpool have a few injury concerns ahead of Thursday night’s Europa League clash against Union Saint-Gilloise, including one which was spotted in training by a journalist.
The Liverpool Echo‘s Stephen Killen noted a few standout takeaways from the session on Wednesday, one of which concerned Darwin Nunez.
The 24-year-old was seen with ‘visible strapping’ around his right knee, the body part to which the injury that precluded him from featuring against Tottenham last week was attributed.
It was the first Liverpool match this season in which the Uruguayan took no part (Transfermarkt), even though Jurgen Klopp claimed that the problem stemmed from last month’s international break, since which time the Reds have played five games.
The presence of Nunez in training suggests that the issue isn’t overly serious, although the sight of bandaging on his knee may raise concerns over his fitness.
Ideally Klopp would be able to rest him tonight and give him three more days to heal fully for the Brighton trip at the weekend, but with Cody Gakpo also sidelined, Liverpool’s centre-forward options are already diminished.
Diogo Jota is a near-certain starter against Union SG given that he’s suspended for Sunday, so perhaps he may lead the line either side of Luis Diaz and Ben Doak should the Uruguayan not be risked.
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If Nunez isn’t able for a full 90 minutes at the Amex Stadium either, that does leave the Reds boss with a dilemma, as two other forwards will definitely miss the clash against the Seagulls.
If Klopp’s trademark formation is kept, Mo Salah might go at centre-forward with either Doak or a versatile midfielder such as Harvey Elliott or Dominik Szoboszlai on the right.
Fingers crossed that the 24-year-old will be raring to go for Sunday, and at least in the matchday squad tonight, even if the manager were to decide against risking him from the start.
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