Liverpool are expected to enjoy the return of both Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson when they travel to Vicarage Road next weekend.
The pair were among those left on Merseyside – also including Daniel Sturridge, Nathaniel Clyne and Adam Lallana – when the Reds travelled to Dublin over the weekend but both are expected to be back in training this week ahead of the fixture.
While the other three left behind are nursing more significant injuries – Lallana is out for up to three months – Henderson was absent only through illness while Coutinho felt a back complaint against Bayern Munich.
Speaking after the Bilbao victory, Liverpool boss Jürgen Klopp gave a positive update on both players fitness.
“Everybody knows about the injury of Adam Lallana, it’s a big blow,” he told reporters.
“But this team deals with so many difficult situations and they will deal with this.
“Phil had back problems yesterday and today so there was no reason for any risks, the same with Hendo. He was a little bit ill, so we said ‘OK, no risk today’. Daniel, of course, has a little muscle (problem), but the squad is big and I thought I saw today that a few boys really showed up.”
The performances by youngsters Ben Woodburn and Dominic Solanke were once again particularly impressive while Ryan Kent also gave a superb showing after an otherwise fairly quiet summer.
The form of Klopp’s young talents is a huge bonus for the manager who will be fighting on four fronts this season as he bids to end the long, arduous wait for silverware. In order to do this, of course, rotation and a big squad are both going to be completely necessary.
“We’ll manage it when we can manage it. We will rotate, that’s clear,” he added.
“That’s not my problem at the moment, I’ll prepare for the Watford game from tomorrow on. And then the next game, and then the next game, and then I’ll think about how we can do this.”
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