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The last international break was not particularly positive for Liverpool, as it only served to interrupt whatever sort of early season momentum Brendan Rodgers' squad could muster and strip the third-year manager of a number of key squad members. Among those injured was 20-year-old midfielder Emre Can, who was injured in an 8-0 win over Romania. His performance on the day was remarkable, but late in the match he suffered damage to ligaments in his ankle, which would rule him out for seven matches across three competitions.
Thankfully he--along with Joe Allen--should be ready for the trip to London next Saturday, giving Rodgers the options that have been sorely lacking in recent weeks. For his part, Can plans to be among the picking for the first time in a Liverpool shirt since their resounding 3-0 win away to White Hart Lane:
"I'm feeling much better and I should be back in full training with the first team next week. I got a blow on the ankle first of all and then when I was running at pace I tried to turn and went over on it. It's been frustrating but that's what happens in football and you have to get on with it. I'm confident I can come back stronger from this.
"I should be fit and available for the QPR game but of course whether I play any part in that game is down to the coach and how I get on in the training sessions next week. I've only played about 50 minutes in total but my initial impression about the Premier League is that there is much more tempo to the games here compared to Germany. The Bundesliga is more relaxed about how you play the game with more passing. English football is more about pressing from the start and that high tempo is the big difference."
It's a difference that didn't appear too daunting in Can's initial Premier League performances, albeit in limited action. We're yet to see him at full fitness, but his physicality and workrate in the midfield were impressive, and while he might not have been a match changer in Liverpool's lackluster September, he would have at the very least provided fresh legs and a more imposing presence in a tired, anonymous midfield.
For now getting him back up to speed slowly will do, as the next few months promise a packed calendar and ample opportunity for playing time. But seeing Emre Can in a Liverpool shirt sooner rather than later will be a welcome sight, and hopefully this time we're able to get an extended look at yet another one of the club's promising young players.
