LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Tuesday, September 14, 2021: Liverpool's manager Jürgen Klopp (L) chats with Ibrahima Konaté during a training session at the AXA Training Centre ahead of the UEFA Champions League Group B Matchday 1 game between Liverpool FC and AC MIlan. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Mo Salah absent as Ibrahima Konate returns to training ahead of Arsenal trip

After picking up an injury at Brighton, Mohamed Salah was not with the rest of his teammates on the outdoor pitches at Kirkby on Monday, but there was a return for Ibrahima Konate.

The 29-year-old was substituted after scoring his 28th goal of the season on the south coast after receiving treatment on the field for a lower leg issue.

Jurgen Klopp had confirmed to the media that further assessment would be required but that Salah said “he thinks it’s not serious” – the incident occurring before his penalty kick.

And as many would have expected just two days on, Salah was not pictured with the rest of his teammates as preparations for the trip to Arsenal started in earnest on Monday.

Thankfully, the manager is not short on options if his top scorer is not deemed fit, with Diogo Jota, Luis Diaz and Sadio Mane the likely front three at the Emirates.

Andy Robertson and Jordan Henderson captain of Liverpool during a training session at AXA Training Centre on January 18, 2022 in Kirkby, England. (Photo by Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

But at the opposite end of the pitch, there was good news with the return of Konate after missing the last two games with suspected Covid after Klopp confirmed there were cases at the club.

It bolsters the options at centre-back but with Joel Matip in formidable form, it may be a case of Nottingham Forest in the FA Cup being highlighted as his next outing for the Reds.

Kostas Tsimikas and James Milner, on the other hand, were not pictured as part of the 25-man squad, including a goalkeeping contingent of five, that were put through their paces on Monday afternoon.

The duo and Salah were the notable absentees on the day, with Klopp no doubt to provide an update on his squad when he fronts the media on Tuesday morning ahead of Wednesday evening’s game.

 

Liverpool squad in training on Monday

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Tuesday, February 15, 2022: Liverpool's Thiago Alcantara, Luis Díaz, Fabio Henrique Tavares 'Fabinho' and Roberto Firmino during a training session at the AXA Training Centre ahead of the UEFA Champions League Round of 16 1st Leg game between FC Internazionale Milano and Liverpool FC. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

Goalkeepers: Alisson, Kelleher, Adrian, Pitaluga, Karius

Defenders: Van Dijk, Matip, Konate, Gomez, Robertson, Alexander-Arnold, R. Williams

Midfielders: Henderson, Fabinho, Thiago, Keita, Jones, Oxlade-Chamberlain, Elliott

Forwards: Diaz, Mane, Jota, Firmino, Minamino, Origi