Klopp confirms when 3 players could return – surprisingly good news on Jota

March 15, 2024
Jack Lusby

Jurgen Klopp has offered a surprising update on Diogo Jota, when confirming possible return dates for him, Curtis Jones and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

As it stands, the Reds find their injury situation easing by the game, with Ryan Gravenberch the latest to report back ahead of Sunday’s trip to Man United.

The list of absentees – which still includes Ibrahima Konate, who is unlikely to be fit for the FA Cup quarter-final – is still a long one.

But in his pre-match press conference at the AXA Training Centre, Klopp revealed that Jones, Alexander-Arnold and Jota could be back within a matter of weeks.

Having told reporters that “some of the others [will be back] after the international break,” the manager was pushed on which players he referred to.

“Curtis,” he began, confirming Jones is expected back against Brighton on March 31.

“And I think the other two, Diogo and Trent, for the week after, [have] a chance.”

That would suggest that both Alexander-Arnold and Jota could miss the next three games – against Man United (March 17), Brighton (March 31) and Sheffield United (April 4) – before returning to the fold.

A potential return fixture would be the trip to Man United in the Premier League on April 7, which falls days before the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final at home to Atalanta (April 11).

It is a positive development when it comes to Jota in particular, with the striker having been expected to miss a longer spell.

Initial reports in Portugal claimed he would sit out “around two months,” which led to speculation that he could make his comeback in mid-to-late April.

That was deemed the best-case scenario for Jota, but now it seems the No. 20 could be ahead of schedule when it comes to his recovery.

There was no update on Alisson, who has already missed a month of action due to a hamstring injury, while Klopp explained that Stefan Bajcetic is currently going through “his pre-season.”

Ben Doak is expected to be fit at some point in April, though the season is believed to be over for Thiago and Joel Matip.