Liverpool: James Pearce reveals double injury boost
Liverpool have had a tumultuous Premier League season so far with a number of injury issues plaguing the squad and now a new update has emerged that could be a huge boost for Jurgen Klopp.
What’s the latest?
According to The Athletic journalist James Pearce, both Virgil Van Dijk and Diogo Jota will return to team training at Kirkby this week ahead of the Merseyside derby and upcoming two-leg Champions League clash with Real Madrid.
As per the report, Pearce claimed that the return from long-term injury issues for both players will be a much-needed lift in the squad after suffering a real struggle to get back on track.
It could revive Liverpool’s season
There is no doubt that having Van Dijk and Jota back in contention at this point of the season will be a huge relief to the Liverpool boss as he attempts to reignite the side’s season after a disappointing run of form.
The Reds are tenth in the Premier League table after 20 outings which would be their worst-finishing league placement since 1952 if they were to retain their current league position at the end of the season, with the side also knocked out of both the FA Cup and Carabao Cup – the two domestic competitions they won last term.
Indeed, Liverpool are still competing in the Champions League with the first half of their challenge against Real Madrid coming up later this month at Anfield and Klopp will be hoping that his returning players can make a instant positive impact to give his team the best chance of knocking their European rivals out of the competition.
Can Van Dijk and Jota save Liverpool's season?
Yes
No
Van Dijk is renowned for his influence on Liverpool’s recent triumphs since he joined the Merseyside outfit in 2017, winning the Champions League just six months into his successful spell at the club, following that up with a Premier League title a year later.
That came all while being named in the PFA Team of the Year on three successive occasions, a fact that marks out just how crucial he is to Liverpool.
As far as Jota is concerned, he was able to force his way into the famous front three of Mohammed Salah, Sadio Mane and Roberto Firmino by making a statement with his consistent threat in front of goal when he joined in 2020 – scoring 34 times and registering 14 assists over 93 appearances so far.
Liverpool have not scored a Premier League goal since the 2nd January when they lost 3-1 to Brentford, and have not won a league game since they beat Leicester City in December last year, so if Jota can quickly get back to his best in the forward line it could revive their fortunes.
With that being said, things could barely get worse at Anfield and Klopp will be feeling the pressure to get a decent performance out of his team as soon as possible, so the return of the experienced duo can only benefit the manager and the team ahead of the Merseyside derby this weekend.
