KLOPP’S TOP OF CROCKS
Reds boss eyes move into transfer market to beat Anfifield injury crisis
LIVERPOOL manager Jurgen Klopp has not ruled out dipping into the transfer market to alleviate his current injury problems but admits it is not the solution to a “four- week problem”.
Centre- back Ibrahima Konate injured a knee in the friendly against Strasbourg last week which Klopp admits will see the defender out “for a while”.
He joins an injury list which already includes Alex OxladeChamberlain ( hamstring), Diogo Jota ( thigh), Curtis Jones ( calf), second- choice goalkeeper Caoimhin Kelleher ( groin) and Kostas Tsimikas ( knock), with Naby Keita set to resume training on Friday after almost a week out with illness.
Liverpool had already completed their expected business with the arrival of striker Darwin Nunez, whose move from Benfica could eventually end up being a clubrecord £ 85million, Fulham teenager Fabio Carvalho for £ 5m and Aberdeen defender Calvin Ramsey for £ 6.5m.
“We have too many injuries, that’s true,” said the Reds boss.
“But in the moment nothing has changed in terms of new signings.
“A lot of unlucky situations. Started with Caoimh and Diogo, pretty much one was injured and one had a re- injury.
“In a few weeks’ time they will be back, but they’ve missed pre- season and that’s not cool.
“Ibou in a challenge in the game against Strasbourg, what happened there we have to see how long it will take to get back but he’s out for a while.
“But we cannot solve a problem we have for four weeks with a transfer for a full year. That makes at the moment no sense to us.
“The transfer window is still open and we will see but the plans are not to go in that direction.”
Konate’s problem does mean, however, centre- back Nat Phillips is unlikely to be loaned out as he will be needed for cover.
Klopp did, at least, have some good news with goalkeeper Alisson Becker’s return in time for the big kick- off having missed most of preseason with an abdominal injury sustained in the brief tour to the Far East.
The manager is also confident Nunez can cope with the rough and tumble of the Premier League, having made a big impact as a second- half substitute in the FA Community Shield win over Manchester City.
“Darwin is ready, but does that mean he has to start every game? I don’t know,” he added.
“We have different options and that is what we will use and Darwin needs time to get used to a lot of things but he is already a real help and it went really quick from the first pre- season game when I thought ‘ What are we doing with him?’.
Settled
“Not because of him but because of the passes we played for him. It was a proper pre- season training session for him and we gave him a lot of runs to do.
“He is completely settled. He said himself he was very nervous in the beginning and I sympathise with that a lot, it’s normal. But he settled
pretty quickly because of all the players, not only the Spanish speakers, and that was very helpful and he feels at home after a short period.
“He had a real impact in the first final we could have played but the work will not stop and he is in the best possible place.”
Klopp’s No2 Pep Lijnders has high hopes for the campaign after going close on four fronts last term.
The Reds won the Carabao and FA Cups but were a point short in the Premier League race and lost the Champions League final to Real Madrid.
Lijnders said: “We’re on a special ride together and we have to cherish that.
“We’re really happy with the business we did and we’re really happy with the players we have.
“If one thing Liverpool Football Club showed in the past and now is that our players will become better, so our young players will become better, our older players will become better and that together they can become unbeatable.
“As long as they play with that mindset and with this fight and this hunger to fight for each other, the future looks really bright.”
And Lijnders admits it’s a dream to work under Klopp and he is becoming a better coach thanks to the German.
Highly
He said: “He’s my football mentor,” he said of the Liverpool manager.
“He’s the one I learned so much from.
“He’s the one who gave me the chance to evolve and to become more and more important inside the set- up and I only can speak highly of him, but a lot of people do.”