Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Mo Salah and Sadio Mane could be in contention for Thursday’s Premier League clash with Leicester, with no extended break planned.
Salah and Mane have both booked a place in the final of the Africa Cup of Nations, with Egypt to play Senegal in Olembe on Sunday night.
Their success at the tournament means that one of the pair will return to Liverpool having lifted the trophy for the first time – though the other will head back in disappointment.
It is a bittersweet situation for the Reds, who will be hoping that Salah and Mane can rejoin Klopp’s squad ready to renew the push for silverware on four fronts.
That could come as early as Thursday night, and the visit of Leicester in the league, which comes just four days after the AFCON final.
“I think they will be available, but we will see,” Klopp told reporters on Friday.
“The one who wins will probably fly back to their home country for their celebration, that’s how it is.
“I think Tuesday or Wednesday latest the winner will be back, and the other one probably slightly earlier. We will see.
“And I have to talk to them, I don’t know. If they have one thing, they have rhythm! They’ve played obviously quite a few games.
“We will see, I have to speak to them then.”
Salah, Mane and Naby Keita have all worn the captain’s armband while in Cameroon, with the trio undoubtedly the key figures for their respective countries.
Klopp believes that experience, and the pressure of getting through a tournament situation, will “help” Liverpool in the future.
“So how much we benefit from it, I don’t know,” he continued.
“But I watched a lot of games and it was really obvious that Naby was the absolute leader in the Guinea team, same for Sadio in the Senegal team and of course Mo with Egypt.
“Yesterday, the [Egypt] coach was not there anymore because he got a red card. Before the penalty shootout, you saw Mo talking, speaking and all these kinds of things with the whole group.
“All the things, all the experiences these boys get in these situations, help us, of course. Short term, I’m not sure, long term definitely helps them as well.
“It was very impressive to see, it’s very important that you get through this kind of things, it’s difficult, obviously, to get that far in a tournament.
“They are the superstars there in the tournament, so the pressure they have on their shoulders was massive, and how they dealt with it, I’m really proud of them, to be honest.
“And now two of them are in the final. We will watch it, definitely.”
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