Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Virgil van Dijk will not be fit to face Wolves tomorrow.
Van Dijk has been injured for the last month, after being taken off in the defeat to Brentford in January. Following the centre-back being pictured in training yesterday there had been some hope that he may be nearing a return.
Speaking in his pre-match press conference today, Klopp confirmed that this is indeed the case. However, the boss admitted that Wolves would come too soon for his No.4.
Klopp also gave a thorough round-up of the other injured players in his squad right now. There looks to be finally some good news on both Diogo Jota and Luis Diaz.
“Generally it’s looking better, boys training, Diogo Jota had a full session with the team this week, then next day a rehab session as part of the plan,” he said. “I think he will be pretty much back in normal training next week.
“Bobby’s getting closer, obviously very good. Luis [Diaz] is running now, that will take a few weeks still, but he’s now out on the pitch running which is really good. Ibou is out, yeah. Virgil is getting closer but not ready for the game obviously. Parts of training next week I think as well for Virgil. Nothing else so far but there are still two hours until training.”
Gomez and Matip will have to do
After Virgil and Bobby were pictured in training yesterday, there was some hope that they’d be ready for this weekend. As it turns out, that hope was misplaced.
With Ibrahima Konate also injured, that will mean that Jurgen Klopp has little choice but to partner Joel Matip with Joe Gomez tomorrow.
This of course isn’t the worst partnership in the world. The two are experienced in playing together and on paper are two top-quality centre-backs.
But it also has the feel of a partnership that could well be a disaster in waiting. Matip has been well below-par since returning from injury after the World Cup. Gomez has slotted into the side since Van Dijk’s injury but has also looked flimsy for most of the season.
Konate has often been the glue holding either Gomez or Matip together. The big Frenchman’s injury could hardly have come at a worse time.
Still, it sounds like Virgil will be back to take his place very soon. If Joe and Joel can get through the next couple of games unscathed, the big man will take it from there.