Klopp's fitness update on Emre Can and Ragnar Klavan
Emre Can has been ruled out of Liverpool's Premier League clash with Leicester City on Saturday, while Ragnar Klavan's fitness must be assessed before the return to Anfield.
Jürgen Klopp provided an update on the pair – and confirmed a clean bill of health for Sadio Mane – as he previewed the game against the reigning champions at a Melwood press conference on Thursday.
Can missed the meeting with Tottenham Hotspur before the international break and then did not subsequently feature for Germany, due to an ankle injury.
Klavan, meanwhile, has suffered a knee problem and will be monitored before a decision is taken on his inclusion for the much-anticipated first home fixture of the season.
The manager told reporters: “Mane, I don’t know how it works and who said it, but it was absolutely nothing. He has trained since he was [back] here completely normally.
“Emre is different. In the Burton game, he didn’t even need an opponent – he did it by himself – but this little issue with the ankle.
“It is much better but Emre didn’t have a perfect pre-season and didn’t have a few games and unfortunately another two-and-a-half-week break now.
“Maybe he will be back today or tomorrow in team training but it will not be enough for the Leicester game.
“Another player with problems is Ragnar Klavan. He had this really unlucky game. He had a bone bruise and a little rip, not too deep, around the knee.
“We don’t need to stitch it but we have to wait. It is obviously a little bit painful so we have to see what happened overnight. We’ll know more this afternoon.”
Klopp added: “[Sheyi] Ojo has not been in team training until now. I don’t know if there’s anybody else that we could or should talk about.
“We have enough players available, if nothing happens today and tomorrow. We will have a good team. I hope everybody wants to play. Then we have to make a few decisions, we will make them and then we will start.”
Emre Can has been ruled out of Liverpool's Premier League clash with Leicester City on Saturday, while Ragnar Klavan's fitness must be assessed before the return to Anfield.
Jürgen Klopp provided an update on the pair – and confirmed a clean bill of health for Sadio Mane – as he previewed the game against the reigning champions at a Melwood press conference on Thursday.
Can missed the meeting with Tottenham Hotspur before the international break and then did not subsequently feature for Germany, due to an ankle injury.
Klavan, meanwhile, has suffered a knee problem and will be monitored before a decision is taken on his inclusion for the much-anticipated first home fixture of the season.
The manager told reporters: “Mane, I don’t know how it works and who said it, but it was absolutely nothing. He has trained since he was [back] here completely normally.
“Emre is different. In the Burton game, he didn’t even need an opponent – he did it by himself – but this little issue with the ankle.
“It is much better but Emre didn’t have a perfect pre-season and didn’t have a few games and unfortunately another two-and-a-half-week break now.
“Maybe he will be back today or tomorrow in team training but it will not be enough for the Leicester game.
“Another player with problems is Ragnar Klavan. He had this really unlucky game. He had a bone bruise and a little rip, not too deep, around the knee.
“We don’t need to stitch it but we have to wait. It is obviously a little bit painful so we have to see what happened overnight. We’ll know more this afternoon.”
Klopp added: “[Sheyi] Ojo has not been in team training until now. I don’t know if there’s anybody else that we could or should talk about.
“We have enough players available, if nothing happens today and tomorrow. We will have a good team. I hope everybody wants to play. Then we have to make a few decisions, we will make them and then we will start.”
). But from the bench he'll bring a left foot strike threat for which tired Leicester defenders cannot afford to switch off.
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