Emre Can took part in full training at Melwood on Thursday, with the midfielder likely to be included as Liverpool take on Leicester City.
Jurgen Klopp had revealed that Can was struggling with a minor injury picked up in last Saturday’s 1-1 draw at home to Burnley.
The German was therefore expected to miss this week’s second clash with the Foxes, with both Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip also unlikely to feature at the King Power Stadium.
But while the centre-back duo both missed training on Thursday afternoon, Can reported for duty alongside his Reds team-mates.
Can was involved in the full session alongside the likes of Philippe Coutinho, Mohamed Salah and Roberto Firmino, and could be thrust straight back into the starting lineup.
After Tuesday night’s 2-0 humiliation at the hands of Craig Shakespeare’s side in the League Cup third round, Liverpool need a convincing victory in the Premier League.
Klopp had made eight changes for that defeat in the East Midlands, but a full-strength side should take to the field on Saturday.
That could see Can and Coutinho line up alongside either Jordan Henderson or Georginio Wijnaldum in midfield, with Salah and Firmino joined by Daniel Sturridge in attack.
If Lovren and Matip aren’t passed fit, Ragnar Klavan and Joe Gomez are due to continue their stint at centre-back.
Sadio Mane will sit out the final game of his three-game ban, having been sent off in the 5-0 loss away to Man City earlier in September.
That capitulation at the Etihad Stadium has seen the Reds endure a major downturn in form, with draws with Sevilla and Burnley bookended by the midweek loss to Leicester.
But speaking ahead of his return to the field this week, Can told LiverpoolFC.com that Klopp’s side simply need to “get self-confidence back.”
“Nothing has changed—it’s the same team, the same manager and the same style of play,” he insisted.
“Nothing has changed. We just have to get self-confidence back, score more goals and the time will come again.
“If you look back at the four games we didn’t win, we didn’t play that badly.
“Of course, against Manchester City it was 5-0 and that’s hard but we had chances before they scored and if we had scored maybe the game would have been completely different.”
It is interesting to see the majority of the focus land on Klopp’s forwards for their failure to convert chances in the autopsy of Liverpool’s poor form.
But with both of his first-choice centre-backs sidelined, the less pressure on the likes of Klavan and Gomez, the better.
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