Liverpool returned to training following a six-day break on Wednesday, and the AXA Training Centre was filled with smiles.
Jurgen Klopp promised the Reds players roughly a week of relaxation and rehabilitation during the break in play after a rigorous stretch in which they played 13 games between late November and early January.
There’s a reason Klopp described the typically hectic December schedule as “the toughest period in world football” at the start of last month, and the spring in the step of the players as they made their Anfield exit after the Carabao Cup first-leg semi-final win over Fulham was noticeable as they got set for a few days of much-needed downtime and the opportunity for a holiday with their loved ones.
“My English is not good enough to put that in words,” Klopp stated when asked how much he was looking forward to the break that had been provided for him and his staff. It is understood that the Reds manager spent some time in Dubai recharging before embarking on another busy stretch.
Captain Virgil van Dijk was also able to spend time with his family in Dubai, where he basked in the sun and used the Park Hyatt Golf and Yacht Club facilities before dining with Manchester City’s Kevin de Bruyne and Formula One star Pierre Gasly. Alexis MacAllister was also in the area with his partner, Ailen Cova.
Trent Alexander-Arnold momentarily became a fashion icon in Milan with David Beckham’s son, Brooklyn, while Cody Gakpo used the chance to announce that he and his fiancée, Noa, are expecting their first child after visiting Dubai’s Palm Jumeirah.
One player who faces a race against time for Sunday’s trip to Bournemouth is Dominik Szoboszlai after he was not involved in training on Wednesday afternoon. The Hungary skipper returned to his own country during the break to accept the ‘Hungarian Male Athlete of the Year’ award in Budapest.
Klopp normally prefers his players to have at least two sessions in training before they are considered for selection, so the 23-year-old may be unavailable if he is ruled out of team training on Thursday or Friday this week. It’s just one of several injury-related headaches Klopp is soothing at present.
“I’d rather miss one more match, if that’s what it takes, so that I don’t injure the previous strain and can play continuously,” Szoboszlai told Hungarian reporters last week. If Bournemouth proves too strong, a comeback against Fulham in the second leg is possible.
Szoboszlai has played the most minutes (1594) of any central midfielder introduced to the Premier League last summer, but some time on the bench may be beneficial for him given how much football remains to be played this season.
Alexander-Arnold, meanwhile, is eyeing a potential comeback against Chelsea on January 31. The vice captain sustained a knee injury in the 2-0 victory at Arsenal in the FA Cup and was absent from the match with Fulham last week as a result.
Assistant manager Pep Lijnders gave a tentative three-week timeline for Alexander-Arnold’s return to Liverpool prior to Marco Silva’s visit, and while some fans were excited about his impending return after some promotional pictures of him in action for his boot suppliers Adidas were posted on social media earlier this week, it is understood that the Londoners’ visit is still circled in the calendar for the time being.
Assistant manager Pep Lijnders offered a tentative three-week prognosis on Alexander-Arnold’s Liverpool return before that visit from Marco Silva’s side, and while some supporters were excited at an imminent return after some promotional pictures of him in action for his boot suppliers Adidas were uploaded on social media earlier this week, it is understood that the visit from the Londoners remains circled in the calendar, for now.
If the meeting with Mauricio Pochettino’s side proves too early for Alexander-Arnold, the match against Arsenal at the Emirates on Sunday, February 4, is being seen as “the latest” option for the England star’s Reds return.
Kostas Tsimikas and Andy Robertson are still working on their own rehabilitation plans following collarbone and shoulder injuries, and both might be back in contention by the end of the month. The return of the left-backs will allow Joe Gomez to play as either a right-sided full-back or a centre-half going forward.
Trent Kone-Doherty, a young Irish winger, was among those who trained at the Kirkby camp on Wednesday. The energetic kid was raised up to brush elbows with his more seasoned colleagues together with Kaide Gordon, Owen Beck, Lewis Koumas, Calum Scanlon and James McConnell, while Nat Phillips was also present after his return from a half-season spell at Celtic.
Klopp was adamant about Phillips’ short-term prospects earlier this month. Liverpool will listen to offers and loan proposals but only towards the end of the transfer window with the manager keen to keep the centre-back around for added cover during a period where he is without four senior defenders in Alexander-Arnold, Tsimikas, Robertson and Joel Matip, whose season was ended in December thanks to an ACL rupture.
Bobby Clark was also in action, as the teenage midfielder looks to build on his outstanding performance off the bench against Arsenal earlier this month. Clark, the son of former Newcastle player Lee, should expect to play in some capacity when Norwich City visit Anfield in the fourth round of the FA Cup later this month
Bradley, however, might make his Premier League debut when the Reds visit the Vitality Stadium this weekend. The Northern Irishman is expected to continue deputising for Alexander-Arnold, with Gomez need to play on the left side in the absence of both Robertson and Tsimikas.
Bradley’s senior debut was over two years ago, in a Carabao Cup victory over Norwich, and with Calvin Ramsay struggling to establish a real foothold at Anfield due to fitness issues and loan issues since his 2022 move from Aberdeen, the combative 20-year-old has a couple of weeks to further his fledgling reputation in this Liverpool side.
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