Liverpool are back in action this week against Brighton at Anfield in the Premier League and Jurgen Klopp has delivered the latest fitness update from the camp.
The Reds boss has confirmed that young midfielder Stefan Bajcetic has returned to partial training, and from next week onwards he should be able to join full training with the U21s.
The 19-year-old is seen as one of the brightest young talents coming out of the Liverpool academy and Jamie Carragher hailed him as an “outstanding” player after his performance against Everton last season.
Bajcetic has played just 72 minutes of football this season as he struggled with an ongoing adductor issue. Liverpool have taken a very cautious approach with the young midfielder and Klopp says he is very happy that the player is nearing full training with the senior players. The youngster has also built muscles during his rehab period.
What Jurgen Klopp has said about Liverpool midfielder Stefan Bajcetic
Klopp said: “Football brain-wise he is a natural so I don’t think he lost anything. But rhythm is something else.
“He is now in partial training with the U21s and he will be in full training with the U21s next week because we pretty much don’t train because we play all the time. Then after that he will join our training. That’s the plan and then we will see.
“But now he is nearly back and I’m really happy for him and happy for us.”
Liverpool injury news ahead of Brighton clash
The Reds will look to shake off their disappointment of losing against Manchester United in the FA Cup with a victory against Brighton on Sunday.
The focus now shifts to winning the remaining two trophies, and Klopp will want his key players to return quickly from injuries.
Andy Robertson picked up an ankle injury while playing for Scotland, and Klopp has confirmed that the injury is not as serious as feared. Robertson has not trained with the squad and he is likely to miss out on Sunday.
The same can be said about Curtis Jones who has returned to training, but the fixture may have come too soon for him. Ibrahima Konate and Darwin Nunez are both fine and they are ready to face the Seagulls.
Alisson Becker, Trent Alexander-Arnold and Diogo Jota have not returned to training but they should be back around mid-April. Meanwhile, Joel Matip has started running around the AXA Training Centre’s pitches but needs more time to return to first-team training.
