Liverpool boss Brendan Rodgers has given injury updates on his players following the Premier League clash against Manchester United on Sunday.
Liverpool have been playing with Rickie Lambert in the past few games due to injury of Mario Balotelli and Danial Sturridge. However, Sturridge remains out but Balotelli could make a return from a groin injury if he passes the late fitness test.
The Italian who is yet to net his first Premier League goal for the Reds returned to training on Monday.
Brendan Rodgers revealed the updates in a pre-match conference: “He's only just back into training, so it's something we'll assess. We've still got a bit of time, so we'll see what his fitness is like. “
Balotelli picked up the injury against Chelsea on 8th November. He is yet to return to first team action.
The boss added on Kolo Toure that he is likely to return this weekend. Toure missed the Champions League game against FC Basel due to groin injury. The Ivorian is likely to get a bench on Sunday.
For Adam Lallana, the boss is confident that he can play against Manchester United. The Englishman suffered a rib injury while playing against Leicester City few weeks ago. He is not fit completely but the boss insisted that he can take some part this Sunday.
The boss added: “He took a nasty injury in the game against Leicester and I didn't mention it because I wanted to protect the player and make sure he wasn't targeted in games.”
Lallana’s injury was not revealed after the game as the boss did not want tell the media.
The Irishman further added: “He looks fully up to speed. He's been available, but not fully fit. He looks much, much better now.”
Columnist: Simon Oates
No comments