Despite hopes that Curtis Jones would be back in contention for Arsenal‘s visit on Saturday, Liverpool’s club doctor has confirmed he is still a “number of weeks” away from a return.
The initial hope for the 20-year-old was a comeback soon after the international break having missed Liverpool’s fixtures against Atletico Madrid and West Ham, with Arsenal first up.
A freak training incident saw Jones receive a finger in his eye and it is now to keep him sidelined for the immediate future, in what is a frustrating diagnosis.
Liverpool confirmed the issue “is specific to the eye and not the socket” with club doctor Jim Moxon on hand to explain the reason for Jones’ prolonged absence from the team.
“It’s a freak injury and very unlucky, but the important thing to emphasise is there is no lasting damage and his vision won’t be impacted beyond the recovery period,” Moxon said.
“However, the nature of the issue means caution is important; we need to allow it time to heal and we can’t rush it, therefore it won’t be a speedy return.
“It needs to mend before we are able to reintroduce Curtis to full training, but there are things he can do in the meantime to maintain fitness.
“We can’t put a specific timescale on a return beyond it will be a number of weeks from now as it heals naturally, so it’s not one we will risk and patience is a virtue with this specific recovery.”
Jones was spotted in the gym at Kirkby alongside Harvey Elliott and it is where he shall stay as he continues his individual programme, keeping Klopp without a midfield option at the start of a hectic run of games.
But the manager will be buoyed by James Milner and Jordan Henderson both taking part in individual sessions on the outdoor pitches at Kirkby on Tuesday, leaving four days to prove their fitness.
Sadio Mane was also an active participant after a scare over a rib injury picked up with Senegal to leave Naby Keita and Andy Robertson as the remaining concerns for Saturday and beyond.
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