Thiago will miss Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Manchester City on Sunday, Jurgen Klopp has confirmed.
The champions have a huge game to look forward to this weekend, looking to make it six wins in a row, in all competitions.
The Reds will have to get by without Thiago, however, as he continues to recover from an injury picked up in the Merseyside derby last month.
Speaking to the press on Friday, Klopp said the 29-year-old is still not available to return to the fold.
There was no surgery needed, but it was still an injury. The longer he is out, the longer he has to train before we consider him as a starting line-up player.
Thiago will not be available for Sunday.
Read Liverpool Verdict
It is impossible to deny that this isn’t a blow to Liverpool, considering Thiago’s reputation as a world-class footballer.
That being said, the Reds have flourished without both the Spaniard and Virgil van Dijk since the Everton game, winning all five matches against Ajax, Sheffield United, Midtjylland, West Ham and Atalanta.
Naby Keita’s return from injury is a boost, though, helping to at least slightly make up for the loss of Thiago.
I expect the Guinean to start in Liverpool’s midfield with Jordan Henderson and Gini Wijnaldum, with Curtis Jones still lacking experience in such a high-profile fixture.
It will be up to Keita to provide the guile that Thiago brings, as he continues to search for a consistently strong run in a Liverpool shirt.
