Thiago had been expected to return to full training this week, but Jurgen Klopp has now confirmed a longer layoff after a “little setback.”
Prior to the trip to Newcastle, Klopp told reporters that both Thiago and Curtis Jones were expected to resume full training on Monday.
But as the Reds returned to the AXA Training Centre this week ahead of the visit of Aston Villa to Anfield, the 32-year-old was not involved.
Jones is now back with the group and Stefan Bajcetic has stepped up his workload to full intensity, but Liverpool remain waiting for Thiago.
The midfielder, who underwent hip surgery in May to correct a long-term issue in the hope he would recover for the start of this season, has suffered a “little setback.”
“Curtis is back in training fully, Thiago not,” Klopp told reporters on Friday.
“Thiago had a little setback. [He] started training with the team and had a little setback, so we had to slow down there a little bit.
“It’s not cool for him, not cool for us, but that’s how it is.
“Thiago will use the international break for that obviously, to be up to speed. That should hopefully be enough.”
It is a frustrating situation for all involved, with Thiago unable to be involved at a time when Liverpool’s midfield is seeing wholesale change.
With the addition of Ryan Gravenberch, 21, the age profile of Klopp’s midfield has dropped even further, with Thiago and Wataru Endo the only midfielders over 30.
For the Spaniard, it appears to be showing, with these setbacks unfortunately to be expected for a player who, already prone to injury, has required surgery on his hip in his 30s.
His contract is due to expire at the end of the season, and it is increasingly difficult to see Thiago playing a key role between now and then.
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