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Thiago Alcantara: Liverpool midfielder few weeks away from knee injury return, says Jurgen Klopp

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp says midfielder is unable to train as he goes through 'further steps' in his rehabilitation; Spain international Thiago Alcantara was caught in a red-card challenge from Everton forward Richarlison in the Merseyside derby on October 17

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Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara's recovery from a knee injury sustained in the Merseyside derby in October will take a few more weeks, says Jurgen Klopp

Thiago Alcantara remains a few weeks away from a return to action following the knee injury he sustained in the Merseyside derby in October, says Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp.

Thiago has not played since he was caught by a red-card challenge from Everton forward Richarlison in the 2-2 draw at Goodison Park - a game which also saw Virgil van Dijk sustain anterior cruciate ligament damage.

Liverpool initially confirmed the close-season signing from Bayern Munich had avoided a serious injury but the severity of the collision continues to sideline the Spain international ahead of the busy December schedule.

"On that day when he got injured in that bad challenge in the Everton game, there was another bad injury and after the scan there was good news and really bad news," Klopp said.

"[With Thiago] nothing was broken or ruptured but it was still a massive impact on the knee.

"The impact on the leg was that big that it's still not okay. It is not massive, and he trains from time to time, not at the moment because we have to realise we have to go through further steps.

"I can't say exactly when he will be fine, but it will take a few weeks."

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Liverpool captain Jordan Henderson will, however, be available for the home Champions League tie against Ajax on Tuesday as the Reds target a win which will qualify them for the knockout stages.

Klopp also confirmed Trent Alexander-Arnold, Naby Keita and Xherdan Shaqiri remain unavailable for the visit of the Dutch champions, along with James Milner, who suffered a hamstring injury against Brighton on Saturday.

Klopp also gave an update on the early stages of Van Dijk's rehabilitation, with it unclear how long the Netherlands defender will be out for after his collision with Everton goalkeeper Jordan Pickford.

Virgil van Dijk injury 3
Image: Virgil van Dijk required surgery on a knee injury earlier this season

Club sources were reluctant to rule out a return to action this season in the immediate aftermath of the player's injury prognosis.

"Considering the circumstances, he is doing really well but the knee doesn't look good," Klopp said.

"It doesn't look how a knee should but looks good for a knee considering the surgery he had and the time since he had the surgery."

Klopp: I don't have the players to prioritise matches

Jurgen Klopp
Image: Klopp lost James Milner to injury at the weekend

The meeting with Ajax is the first of eight matches Liverpool will play in December and Klopp insists he does not have the personnel to look ahead amid the condensed fixture schedule.

"I don't have enough players for prioritising," Klopp said.

"It is not about the competition; it is about the game we play. We played two days ago and the fittest players for that game were on the pitch and that will be the case again for this game because we don't have enough players to make these kinds of decisions.

"I never made this kind of decision [regarding] the Premier League and the Champions League because all competitions are very important for us."

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