Liverpool trio Virgil van Dijk, Curtis Jones and Fabinho will return to training sooner than first anticipated due to new government regulations and that means Jurgen Klopp could get them back in the side to face Leeds.
The government has now advised people infected with Covid in England can stop self-isolating up to three days early if they test negative twice.
This means that the isolation period for Liverpool’s van Dijk, Fabinho and Jones has been cut from 10 days to 7 days and, if they return negative tests on days six and seven, they can return for the Reds.
It is still too soon for them to return this evening to face Leicester City in the Carabao Cup quarter-final. Jurgen Klopp will be looking at the next two Premier League fixtures against Leeds United at Anfield on Boxing Day and against Leicester again at the King Power on the 28th.
If the original trio tested positive on the 16th, they will be allowed to return to the training ground tomorrow or the day after, assuming they have no symptoms and return negative tests.
Thiago will follow suit soon, as he only tested positive on the 19th. But Jordan Henderson has recovered from illness, so the engine room is becoming well-staffed once again.
Either way, it is good to know that, what could have been a very damaging situation for Klopp and his players, could be over.
Manchester City capitalised on Liverpool’s inability to get a win against Spurs but a three-point gap is not insurmountable for the Reds. Although any more slip-ups could allow Pep Guardiola and his men to take control of the title race.