Curtis Jones has not featured for Liverpool since a 3-1 victory over Man City in the Community Shield, but there is hope of an imminent return for the midfielder.
“Curtis, when he was out earlier, he had a stress reaction on a specific bone around the tibia,” Jurgen Klopp explained earlier this month.
“It was absolutely fine, no problem anymore. Trained twice, I felt it again.
“It’s not as bad as the first time, but it’s bad enough that I don’t get to participate in team training again, which doesn’t help much.”
The injury was the latest in a series of setbacks for Jones, who has been prevented from establishing himself as a regular under Klopp due to persistent and often unfortunate injury problems.
The 21-year-old has played 75 times for his boyhood club but hasn’t been involved since the Community Shield except for one night as an unused substitute in a 2-1 win over Newcastle.
However, there is hope that Jones will return after the international hiatus, with the youngster revealing that he would “be back soon” in an Instagram post on Tuesday.
“Can’t wait,” No. 17 wrote, clearly a frustrating moment on the sidelines.
According to Liverpool journalist David Lynch, writing for The National, “it is expected that [his] The tibial stress issue will be resolved before club action resumes.”
Jones’ expected return date, then, should be before Brighton’s visit on October 1, with the possibility of him taking a bench place at Anfield.
The injury situation is certainly easing within Klopp’s squad, with Jordan Henderson back earlier than expected and reporting for England on Monday night, while Ibrahima Konate is already training.
Calvin Ramsay and Caoimhin Kelleher could return, while Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Naby Keita are expected to resume training in October.
Kaide Gordon remains a long-term absentee, but the youngster should be involved in the near future as a pelvic problem eases, and his return is likely to be with the under-21s.
Meanwhile, Arthur got through another hour of competitive football as the Under-21s lost their second EFL Trophy group game on Tuesday night, making their second start in four days in a 1-0 loss at Rochdale.
Liverpool have 12 first-team players on international duty during the September break, with the hope that none will return with new injuries.
