Don’t panic! Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane injuries are what we prepared for

Liverpool haven’t had a great international break and have to contend with the possibility of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah missing the Huddersfield game due to injury.

Salah has picked up a muscle problem as Egypt beat eSwatini, said the BBC, while the Liverpool Echo reported that Mane is suspected to have broken his thumb playing as Senegal got ready to take on Sudan in an African Cup of Nations qualifier.

But before alarm bells start going off all over the place and the doomsday predictions come out, this is exactly what the Reds prepared for in the summer.

Manager Jurgen Klopp was praised for his savvy navigation of the transfer market as the German strengthened his squad. Klopp kept Dominic Solanke and Daniel Sturridge around for a reason, while Xherdan Shaqiri adds more depth in forward areas.

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So the Premier League clash on Saturday will give those three the chance to jostle for a place in the starting XI. You’d assume that Shaqiri is a shoe-in for a starting role, but Solanke and Sturridge will also be considered for a place on either flank.

After praising the work the club did over the summer, it would be silly to be scared of the consequences of a couple of injuries. Of course it’s never good when key players are missing, but actually this might not be the worst thing in the world.

Salah has looked jaded since his World Cup campaign and an enforced spell on the sidelines might do the Egyptian some good. Mane has also been carrying the attacking burden for a while now and time away from the side might allow the former Southampton man to freshen up.

Klopp may also decide to use a different formation that makes use of Adam Lallana’s return to fitness as well as Sturridge’s new lease of life.

The world has got so used to Liverpool playing a 4-3-3 that it would take Huddersfield by surprise, and that’s never a bad thing.