Jurgen Klopp “doesn’t know” if Thiago will play for Liverpool again – plus Bajcetic update

Jurgen Klopp has revealed he is unsure whether Thiago will be able to feature again for Liverpool this season.

But the Reds boss offered a positive update on Stefan Bajcetic, who is now completely pain free and edging closer to a return to first-team training.

Having missed the start of the season as a result of hip surgery, Thiago made his long-awaited return in making a five-minute cameo at Arsenal earlier this month.

Unfortunately, the resulting setback has seen him sidelined since and, according to Klopp, may even mean his campaign is over.

With the midfielder’s contract set to expire this summer, it is also likely to mean the end of his Liverpool career.

The manager said: “There is no timescale. I don’t know [if he will play again this season], to be honest.

LONDON, ENGLAND - Sunday, February 4, 2024: Liverpool's Thiago Alcântara during the FA Premier League match between Arsenal FC and Liverpool FC at the Emirates Stadium. (Photo by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

“What he has to do now from a medical point of view, I don’t know if that will then mean that he can play again.

“It’s not a short-term thing, that’s why I’m not really in the subject. It’s not that he might be in training in two weeks or something like this. Cannot say more about it, to be honest.

“The region is the same (hip).”

Bajcetic, meanwhile, has been restricted to just two outings this season, both of which came in September, due to an adductor issue.

However, the 19-year-old is now moving without pain and is now closer than ever to making a comeback.

Klopp said: “Stefan is one of these things. I had lunch and I saw him training and sat there and thought, ‘Why is he not playing?!’

“He’s obviously gaining fitness now and running around like wow. He’s doing everything, but he did not get the green light yet for team training.

“There is nobody in this building that wants to hold him back so there might be some reasons. He is completely pain free, which is obviously the most important thing.

“All checks were made like scans again, bone looks good, that’s all fine. He’s just doing the stuff he’s doing and we have to make sure of the moment we use him again in normal training.

“The difficult of football is that it is such a complex sport for the body, it’s not just that you have to turn yourself but somebody else turns you.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND - Wednesday, September 27, 2023: Liverpool's Stefan Bajcetic during the Football League Cup 3rd Round match between Liverpool FC and Leicester City FC at Anfield. Liverpool won 3-1. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

“You have to do it at high speed and then slow down in a split second and go again.

“We try as much as we can to do this in rehab sessions but, in the end, you cannot put in 10 other players to recreate a proper game situation.

“For me, he looks good, but how good I get told, I cannot decide that. Nobody told me he will train this afternoon or that he will be back soon.”