For the first time in a very long time, Liverpool may not have any players sidelined through injury, with Jurgen Klopp welcoming back three more on Tuesday.
The Reds have become synonymous with injuries in recent years, with the intense schedule, combined with freak issues and COVID-19, ensuring the list of absentees has been vast.
But with Leicester to visit Anfield on Thursday night, Klopp finds himself in the rare position of having almost an entire squad to select from.
Mohamed Salah returned to light training following the Africa Cup of Nations on Tuesday, while the manager has also seen Joe Gomez and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain rejoin the group after time out due to Covid.
Gomez and Oxlade-Chamberlain tested positive for the virus during the mid-season break, forcing them out of the FA Cup clash with Cardiff, but are now back available.
“Oxlade and Joe are back in training, which is good – they had Covid last week,” the manager told Liverpool’s official website.
“In the next few days and weeks, we here at Liverpool will have probably all had it and that’s then at least something good in that.
“But no, no new injuries or anything like that.”
It is a strong situation for the Reds to find themselves in, with Harvey Elliott making his long-awaited return from injury on Sunday while Thiago played his first minutes in seven-and-a-half weeks.
Luis Diaz has been added to the fold and, along with the returning Salah and fit-again Divock Origi, Sadio Mane is due back from Senegal later this week and should be in contention against Burnley.
The Leicester game is Liverpool’s first of 10 in just 33 days, averaging one every 3.3 days, including two Champions League clashes with Inter Milan, the League Cup final against Chelsea and the FA Cup tie at home to Norwich.
Fortunately, Klopp finds his group in excellent condition, with the manager describing the upcoming fixture list as “exactly what you build a squad for.”
“It is always the same, but we didn’t speak about these kind of things very often because we didn’t have it very often,” he said of his squad depth.
“But now it looks like in the moment we have it for once, so now let’s just use it.
“That’s the plan and let’s use it as smartly as possible, so that we can really bring all the energy and all the quality we have in each of these games on the pitch and be good enough to win them.”
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