Jürgen Klopp is confident Roberto Firmino and Trent Alexander-Arnold will be ready for the start of the Premier League season.
The pair returned to first-team training last week after taking time off following their World Cup campaigns in Russia.
Despite not featuring in any preseason games to this point, the duo are expected to play a part in Saturday’s clash with Napoli in Dublin.
Of Firmino, Klopp said:
He changed something with his hair, I am not 100 per cent sure what. I think now it’s black? And I didn’t see it, but I heard during his holiday it was silver – but that’s the only difference.
All the rest is like it was when he left. It’s good to have him here, he looks in good shape, and if possible we will see [if he can play against Napoli]. Training for the outfield players is obviously different than for the goalies, but we want to see him as well against Napoli. We will see for how long.
When we start against West Ham, he will have had then two weeks after three weeks off, it should be possible but we will see until then.
In the moment he looks good, his programme is obviously pretty different. He is part of most of the sessions when the boys do something different that is not the highest intensity, so then he needs to do a little bit more, like Trent will do now.
Alexander-Arnold cut his break short to join up with the squad once again, a fact Klopp alluded to during his press conference:
It was not [possible] to stop [him coming back], but then without physical power it wouldn’t have been possible to keep Hendo away either,
But Hendo is in a different situation and played much more games, played more in the World Cup and all that stuff. He is not old, but he is older than Trent, so I think it makes absolute sense he has the full three weeks and Trent has had two weeks and two days.
Trent seems to be really relaxed and really desperate to be part of the team again, so good to have him and now we can start with him.
