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Jurgen Klopp has confessed that he is still unsure whether Mohamed Salah, Darwin Nunez, or any of his injured players will heal in time for Sunday’s EFL Cup final against Chelsea at Wembley.
The duo were two of a full XI that missed Wednesday’s Premier League match against Luton Town, forcing Klopp to rely on multiple kids to fill the bench, including Bobby Clark, James McConnell, and 18-year-old debutant Jayden Danns.
Both Nunez and Salah had suffered from the weekend’s 4-1 victory over Brentford, in which Diogo Jota and Curtis Jones were forced to leave in the first half due to knee and shin injuries, respectively.
Stefan Bajcetic, Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson Becker, Ben Doak, Joel Matip, Thiago Alcantara, and Dominik Szoboszlai are all on the Reds’ injured list, with just the latter expected to recover for the trip to Wembley.
Jurgen Klopp presents an update on the Reds Duo
However, speaking to reporters after the 4-1 hammering of Luton, Klopp said that he was still unaware of the fitness of his absentees, but the German was “so happy” to offer Premier League minutes to numerous academy graduates.
“No. To be honest, I am not sure if these youngsters will be able to play again. The scenario isn’t fantastic, and we don’t need to make it any better than it is,” Klopp remarked in his post-game press conference.
“I’m really thrilled that all the kids came on and played. Dannsy [Jayden Danns] said ‘Thank you, boss!’ 50 times. I’m very glad I could offer him that opportunity; the boys deserve it. But, obviously, there are many important games ahead of us, and we’re not sure; we’re taking it day by day.
“I can’t say anything about it since I don’t know. But after Brentford, I had no idea the situation would be like it was now. So, let us see. There is one phrase that remains: as long as we have 11, we will go for it. That is all I can promise.
Jurgen Klopp and the Reds
Liverpool hadn’t lost a Premier League home game since Leeds United’s memorable victory in October 2022. Tahith Chong was denied by the underside of Caoimhin Kelleher’s legs. However, Luton took the lead when Chiedozie Ogbene crashed home at the back post.
However, Klopp’s choice words for his players at halftime had the right impact, as Virgil van Dijk slammed home a header from Alexis Mac Allister’s corner, before the latter and Cody Gakpo caught Luton off guard with a throw-in.
Luis Diaz’s calm finish gave Liverpool breathing room, before Harvey Elliott secured an emphatic victory with a stunning finish into the top corner, giving the Reds a four-point lead over Manchester City at the Premier League summit.
