Having made just one appearance for Liverpool before sustaining a serious thigh injury, Arthur is now on the comeback trail, and is reported to have returned to training on Wednesday.
The Brazilian midfielder, who arrived on loan from Juventus at the end of last summer’s transfer window, tore a thigh muscle in October, having spent the early stages of his arrival trying to build up his fitness levels.
It was then decided that he would undergo surgery, with reports claiming he would be sidelined for three-to-four months at the time.
And with several of Liverpool’s other injured players now nearing a comeback, Arthur is also believed to be approaching full fitness, with the Daily Mail‘s Simon Jones claiming that the 26-year-old returned to training on Wednesday.
It’s reported that Arthur took part in a session with Liverpool’s fringe players on Sunday, the day after their 3-0 defeat to Wolves at Molineux.
The players were granted two days off on Monday and Tuesday, but Arthur was again involved in training when the players reconvened at Kirkby on Wednesday.
The piece states that Arthur is hoping to be involved in Monday’s Merseyside derby against Everton at Anfield, but even if he is deemed fit, it would seem unlikely that he’d make the squad ahead of the likes of Stefan Bajcetic, Naby Keita, Thiago, Fabinho or Jordan Henderson at present.
Last week it was confirmed that Arthur had not been included in Liverpool’s squad for the Champions League knockout stages, and with the Reds out of both domestic cup competitions, the Brazil international is likely to struggle for any significant game time between now and the end of the season.
Nonetheless, Jurgen Klopp will be pleased to have another player available for selection, with Diogo Jota, Virgil van Dijk and Roberto Firmino also said to be closing in on a return.
Last Friday, Klopp revealed the news that he hoped Jota would be able to return to full training this week, having joined in with parts of the team’s sessions prior to the defeat at Wolves.
And on Wednesday, the Echo‘s Ian Doyle reported that, as planned, Jota did take part in training that day.
He added that Ben Doak, who has been absent from the first team squad with a minor injury recently, will also return to training “by the end of the week.”
Klopp is likely to provide a further injury update in his pre-Everton press conference on Friday.
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