Ibrahima Konate is losing his bid to be fit for Liverpool’s FA Cup quarter-final against Manchester United on Sunday, but Bobby Clark has avoided being the latest Reds player to sustain a major injury.
Konate has yet to resume full training after suffering a hamstring injury during the Europa League round of 16 first leg against Sparta Prague last Thursday.
Despite his injury, the centre-back has been called up to France’s international friendly against Germany and Chile later this month.
However, Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp painted a bleak picture when asked on Friday about Konate’s chances of being available for the Old Trafford meeting with fierce North West rivals Manchester United.
“Ibou didn’t train today,” Klopp stated. “We have to see if he can train tomorrow but it will be a tight, tight race which we probably lose, but we don’t know.”
Clark was pulled off at the end of Thursday’s 6-1 return leg against Sparta, after scoring his first senior goal. However, Klopp offered a more promising update on the youngster, confirming Ryan Gravenberch’s progress towards a return after nearly three weeks out.
“Bobby felt much better,” explained the Liverpool manager. “It was painful; he took a knock there, which caused a little swelling, and the swelling raised the possibility of something more serious. But it isn’t; he’s fine.
“Ryan trained again today and is ready as well. And some of the others will return after the international break.
After Sunday, Liverpool will be out of action for a fortnight until they face Brighton in the Premier League, with Klopp hopeful of bringing back Curtis Jones, though Diogo Jota and Trent-Alexander Arnold will have to wait longer before being considered for selection.
“Who can return after the international break?” Curtis, and I believe Diogo and Trent will have a chance the next week,” Klopp stated.
Meanwhile, Liverpool manager Brendan Rodgers has announced that Stefan Bajcetic is now close to returning to training following a prolonged injury issue related to his growth that has limited the 19-year-old to only two appearances in the last year.
“Stefan is pretty much now in his pre-season to make him physically ready,” Klopp told reporters. “At the moment, he feels intensity rather than injuries. He’s a young man, so we need to make sure we don’t use him before he’s fully prepared.
“What happened earlier was that the body was not fully prepared for the rigors of professional football. He is in a much better place now, but it has taken a long time, a very long period, to improve. But we’ll have to wait a little longer; he’s in pre-season, and I believe he’ll be part of team training after the international break.
