‘We have to see’ Klopp drops major Salah cliffhanger
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has dropped a Mohamed Salah hint.
The Egyptian international tested positive for COVID-19 during the international break, which saw him miss last weekend’s game against Leicester City.
A 3-0 win showed a side remarkably comfortable following the unavailability of so many key players. Liverpool were forced to cobble together a back four that included James Milner at right-back and only one recognised centre-back.
However the strength and mentality of the side shone through as they comfortably beat an excellent Foxes side.
A victory on Wednesday night will secure this team’s passage to the next round of the Champions League, which will allow Klopp to rest several key players in an effort to help stem the flow of muscle injuries.
One player who missed on Sunday but might be available on Wednesday is Mohamed Salah. The King is back in England and could take part against Atalanta after returning a negative test result for COVID.
Diogo Jota may have performed well in that inside-right role, but Salah is world class and his return to the side will give the team more chance of qualifying.
Klopp claimed that Salah has been involved in training and is available for the game against Atalanta. As quoted by Liverpool’s official website, the Reds manager said in his pre-match press conference:
"“Mo trained with the team yesterday and looked really good. The test was negative – all the tests were negative – so, if nothing changed since yesterday, he is available.Now we have to see what we do with that because he was quarantined until three days ago.”"
Salah has had a fine start to the season, amassing ten goals and an assist in 13 appearances across all competitions so far. Without him, Liverpool managed to beat Leicester City 3-0 but Klopp will be hoping that the 28-year-old is back in the playing XI as soon as possible.
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As far as Salah’s chances of starting against Atalanta are concerned, there’s a fair possibility of him being in the lineup. However, it won’t be a surprise if Klopp benches him or even omits him from the matchday squad in order to keep him fit for the weekend’s fixture against Wolves.