Jurgen Klopp has suggested that, despite the striker returning to full training this week, Roberto Firmino could sit out of Liverpool’s clash with Tottenham.
Firmino was back in training on Thursday after missing almost three weeks due to a foot injury, forcing the Brazilian out of five games across the Premier League and Champions League.
The issue was initially believed to be minor, but ongoing pain saw the club’s medical staff take a cautious approach to Firmino’s recovery.
That limited the fitness work he could undertake while sidelined, with Klopp mindful of throwing him back into action too early, which could even rule him out of the visit of Tottenham on Saturday night.
“He’s back in training. So now we have to make a decision like that,” the manager told reporters.
“The foot thing didn’t let him do a lot, we had to let it settle and now we have to make sure that he has a few proper sessions.
“Obviously, we have enough games still, but it’s very important we get him in the best possible shape.
“It might be possible that it makes more sense just to train through the weekend and then be a big step closer for Tuesday, for example.
“But let’s see. Yesterday he was in training, it was great.”
Firmino was the only player on the treatment table at the start of the week, and after a tough 3-2 win at Villarreal on Tuesday night there could have been concerns over new injuries.
However, Klopp revealed that he was yet to be informed of any setbacks, with a full-strength squad to choose from at the weekend.
Victory over Tottenham will see Liverpool go top of the table, at least briefly, with Man City to host Newcastle almost 24 hours later on Sunday.
Even if Firmino is deemed fit enough to feature, it is highly unlikely he will start, with Klopp to field either Sadio Mane or Diogo Jota up front.
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