Philippe Coutinho is in the Brazil squad for their World Cup qualifiers but Jurgen Klopp says the No. 10 remains injured.
Uncertainty continues to surround the future of playmaker Coutinho, with his manager insisting he remains unavailable for the weekend game at Arsenal due to injury.
Coutinho, along with forward Roberto Firmino, were called up over a week ago to the national team for upcoming qualifiers against Ecuador and Colombia, but the midfielder has not played since then for the Reds.
To that end, Klopp says the process would be for the national team to meet with Coutinho to assess him, even though he will have missed five competitive fixtures for Liverpool in the meantime.
“In this moment he’s on our injury list, that didn’t change,” he told reporters.
“I have no idea [about the call-up], was not in contact with the Brazilian FA.
“If they want to see him and check him, he has to go there. I don’t know exactly but I think it will happen. We’ll do it, it’s no problem.”
With rumours still circulating over bids from Barcelona for the No. 10, it’s doubtful at this point that any Reds fans are convinced of fitness being the key issue for Coutinho’s continued non-selection.
On the plus side, the Reds have made short work of most opponents in his absence, with the front three in particular giving supporters plenty of reason for optimism for the season ahead.
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