Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Curtis Jones is ‘probably the closest’ to returning to first-team action.
The German dropped a five-player injury update that included bad news for Brazilian midfielder Arthur Melo, who suffered a muscle strain ahead of the Champions League clash with Rangers.
“Curtis Jones was training yesterday, he looked good, but now it’s the first session. He then he is probably the closest,” the 55-year-old told reporters at his pre-match press conference, as covered on the club’s official website.
“They are good, they do great sessions but Naby and Ox [are] still a bit far.
“We have a new injury, it is Arthur Melo. In the last session before the Rangers game, in a normal situation, only one muscle was injured. We have to wait for further evaluation to know exactly how long it will be, but it’s out.
“Robbo runs a lot, it seems that he is close. Curtis is probably the closest now, then Robbo, and then the other two step by step.”
The news that our first-choice left-back could return to action after the tie with Arsenal will be a welcome relief, although there is certainly no rush for the Scot amid positive performances from Kostas Tsimikas in his place.
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We’ll keep our fingers crossed that our No.29’s latest setback isn’t a long-term issue, particularly given how key it is for the former Blaugrana star to showcase his skills in a short period of time.
Nonetheless, Jones’ imminent return represents a significant boost in light of our previous midfield struggles, most critical on the left side of midfield.
Of course, with Klopp opting to switch to a 4-2-3-1 – a change we suspect he will keep for the visit to north London – the load in midfield has already been somewhat reduced.
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