Liverpool host Derby County in the third round of the Carabao Cup on Wednesday evening, with a heavily rotated squad expected by fans.
Speaking in his press conference ahead of the game (Liverpool FC Youtube Channel), Assistant Manager Pep Lijnders gave his latest updates on the squad’s fitness.
The Assistant boss confirmed that James Milner will not be available for the cup tie but will be back in contention when the Reds host Southampton in the Premier League, saying: “Millie will definitely be ready for Southampton but this game comes too early.”
The same applies for midfielder, Naby Keita, with Lijnders confirming: “Naby will be difficult, he’s still training individually. Let’s see for Southampton.”
Lijnders also suggested that Joel Matip will not be back on the pitch until after the World Cup: “Then we have of course Joel, who is getting closer to team training but will not make Southampton probably.”
Finally, Klopp’s right-hand man gave an update on both Luis Diaz and Diogo Jota, revealing: “The longer injuries, Luis Diaz is running for the first time on Thursday. That’s good news because we all know how important he was last year and in the second half of the season.”
“And Jota will take longer.”
It is expected that the likes of Caiomhin Kelleher, Stefan Bajcetic and Calvin Ramsay will be handed first-team starts against Derby County on Wednesday, giving the majority of the first team a much-needed rest.