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A Liverpool side without Sadio Mané may be able to inflict untold suffering on NK Maribor, but the 25-year-old makes this side sharper in tandem with Mohamed Salah. The main question, however, is whether one of the Premier League’s elite forwards will make an early return from injury. It has been rumoured that Mané may make a recovery in time for his nation’s World Cup qualifiers in later next month.
Senegal need Mané as much as Liverpool do, but Klopp addressed whether his player would recover quicker than the six weeks he was expected to be out for. An earlier return would probably put him in line for a potential pair of international fixtures as Senegal attempt to qualify for the World Cup from a position of strength. Moreover, it would be a first World Cup appearance for Mané.
"Sadio is still in rehab, that’s how it is," Klopp said. "He is indoor and was not even [doing] any exercises outside. That’s the situation in the moment.
"If he is fit earlier, I would be really happy but nobody knows in this moment. So, there’s nothing else to say about it.
"They have very important games or at least one; Senegal need one point from two games to be qualified for the World Cup, so I can imagine they feel the pressure a little bit.
"But we cannot change the situation. If Sadio is fit, we cannot hide it, why should we? If he is fit, we can do nothing to keep him here, he would go to the national team of Senegal, that’s clear. But in this moment, I don’t know."