Liverpool Stars Not Ready to Face West Brom

Despite some hope that Jordan Henderson at least might win the fitness battle and at least make the bench on Sunday against West Bromwich Albion, Liverpool’s captain has today been ruled out for the weekend, with manager Jürgen Klopp hopeful that he could be ready for Crystal Palace the week afterwards.

Meanwhile, Adam Lallana has also been confirmed as an injury absence for the weekend, with the Liverpool boss setting out a hopeful timeline that would see him return the week after Henderson, against Watford on the 1st of May. Both players, though, could conceivably be out for longer than that.

“They are better but not enough for the weekend,” Klopp said at his pre-match press conference. “Jordan was clear from the start there was no exact timeframe, so we have to wait until he feels nothing. That’s how it is and we are still waiting. It could be next week he’s in training or the week after, but I think we’re on a good way.

“With Adam it is a little easier. I can say that after the Palace game he should be completely normal in training. Then Watford comes and he should be in the squad or I can at least think about him. We still have to take steps before they can come back to training with the team.”

Klopp was also asked about the status of Marko Grujic, his first Liverpool signing and a young player who looked to have some promise in the autumn before a series of injuries disrupted his season. The problem now, with so little time left in the season, is the fact that while he’s fit he’s not up to match speed.

“Unfortunately because of injuries he’s not in a real rhythm,” the Liverpool manager noted. “Football-wise he looks good in training but just a few things are not there because he hasn’t played. There are scenarios in which he could play, but he’s in a good way and it’s good to have him back.”