James Milner the latest player on Liverpool's casualty list
Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said his mounting injury list ahead of their Champions League clash with Ajax Amsterdam tomorrow morning (Singapore time) means he does not have enough fit players to rotate his squad.
The latest player to be sidelined at Anfield is utility man James Milner, who hurt his hamstring in Saturday's 1-1 draw at Brighton & Hove Albion.
Klopp said midfielder Thiago Alcantara remains out for a few more weeks and fullback Trent Alexander-Arnold has not yet been given the green light to return to full training.
| LIVERPOOL | AJAX AMSTERDAM |
Centre-backs Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez both remain out with long-term injuries, while forward Xherdan Shaqiri and midfielder Naby Keita are also missing for the game.
Asked if the busy schedule meant he would have to prioritise between European and domestic competitions, Klopp said he never made such choices and that in any case he was in no position to rotate his squad.
"I don't have enough players to prioritise. It's not about the competition, it's about the players. On Saturday, the fittest players played," he said.
Liverpool will go through to the knockout stage from Group D if they avoid defeat by Ajax and will be group winners if they win and Atalanta fail to beat Midtjylland.
Asked about dealing with a fixture pile-up while facing a lengthy injury list, Klopp said he had no choice but to cope with the circumstances.- REUTERS
Get The New Paper on your phone with the free TNP app. Download from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store now