Andy Robertson appears to have already taken a big step in his recovery from ankle ligament damage, while Nat Phillips is back in Liverpool training at Kirkby.
The Reds take on Burnley in the first home game of the season on Saturday, with Jurgen Klopp overseeing a return to training on Tuesday morning.
His squad at Kirkby included the group involved in the 3-0 win over Norwich last weekend, along with the majority of those that featured in a 4-1 behind-closed-doors friendly victory against Aston Villa on Sunday.
Joe Gomez was not pictured as part of the session, though there is no word yet on whether this is due to any fitness issue or he was simply working alone as part of his long-term recovery programme.
— Andy Robertson (@andrewrobertso5) August 17, 2021
Interestingly, though, Robertson could be seen running around the pitch just over a week after damaging his right ankle in the 1-1 draw with Athletic Club.
The Scot is expected to be back around the September international break, and physical therapy expert Dr Rajpal Brar told This Is Anfield that this is a “good sign” despite there being “big hurdles” ahead.
It is unlikely that Robertson will feature against Chelsea on August 28, with Kostas Tsimikas a capable stand-in until the first-choice left-back is given a chance to regain full fitness.
Three others who were part of training on Tuesday were Phillips, Divock Origi and Loris Karius, who are all considered up for sale.
Phillips has not been seen with the senior squad over the past week – along with both pre-season friendlies at Anfield against Athletic Club and Osasuna – and it was suspected this was due to interest from the likes of Brighton and Burnley.
But he is back with the group, at least for the time being, while the continued presence of Origi and Karius suggests there are no deals close for the pair either.
Youngsters Owen Beck and Kaide Gordon are still training with the first team and look set to remain with Klopp’s group for the foreseeable future, as is the case for the in-demand Ben Woodburn.
Xherdan Shaqiri is still absent, with the Swiss in line for a permanent transfer to Lyon, though talks are ongoing between the two clubs.
There appear to be no new injury issues for the squad – bar, perhaps, Gomez – with Curtis Jones, Jordan Henderson and Thiago all part of full training and in contention for Saturday’s clash with Burnley.
Liverpool squad training on Tuesday
Goalkeepers: Alisson, Kelleher, Adrian, Karius, Pitaluga
Defenders: Van Dijk, Matip, Konate, Phillips, R.Williams, Alexander-Arnold, Tsimikas, N.Williams, Beck
Midfielders: Fabinho, Henderson, Thiago, Keita, Milner, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Elliott, Jones, Woodburn
Forwards: Salah, Mane, Firmino, Jota, Minamino, Gordon, Origi
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