Jurgen Klopp confirms when Liverpool will lose Mo Salah and Wataru Endo
Jurgen Klopp has confirmed when Liverpool will lose both Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endo, with the pair set to head to mid-season international tournaments.
Due to the multi-cultural squad put together by Klopp at Liverpool, it has often been the case that key players miss fixtures around the turn of the year.
That has largely come due to the Africa Cup of Nations, with Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita all absent in recent seasons for the tournament.
But this year that is added to by the Asian Cup, as summer signing Endo is captain of Japan.
It had been hoped that Endo and Salah, who will also captain Egypt as they head to the Ivory Coast for AFCON, would be available for the FA Cup third-round clash with Arsenal on January 7.
Klopp has, however, confirmed that the pair are expected to depart directly after the visit of Newcastle in the Premier League on New Year’s Day.
The manager updated reporters, including the Guardian‘s Andy Hunter, in his extended pre-match press conference on Friday.
With AFCON running from January 13 to February 11 and the Asian Cup from January 12 to February 10, Liverpool could be without Salah and Endo for a lengthy period.
At the very least they will miss the following four fixtures:
If they go all the way and reach their respective finals, though, they would be absent for another four games including a potential fourth-round tie in the FA Cup.
That would also rule them out of Chelsea (H, Jan 31), Arsenal (A, Feb 4) and Burnley (H, Feb 10), with a likely return fixture against Brentford (A, Feb 17).
As it stands, Liverpool are guaranteed to be without their top goalscorer and a vital member of the midfield for at least four fixtures.
Given the injury situation within Klopp’s squad, with Diogo Jota and Alexis Mac Allister not yet fit, Andy Robertson still not in contact training and Joel Matip, Thiago, Ben Doak and Stefan Bajcetic all long-term absentees, it is far from ideal.
The hope will be that Mac Allister and Jota are both back in time for the FA Cup clash at Arsenal, while the manager has already given a hint at his plan without Salah.
Harvey Elliott started on the right wing for the 5-1 victory over West Ham in the Carabao Cup quarter-finals, while Dominik Szoboszlai is another option.
“There are parallels” – Former Arsenal man sees similarities with Liverpool ahead of title battle
Former Arsenal defender Shkodran Mustafi has praised the club for backing Mikel Arteta in the early days of his reign, believing there are parallels with how Liverpool have backed Jurgen Klopp.
Arsenal are currently top of the table with 39 points from 17 games so far, while Liverpool sit behind them and Aston Villa in third place on 38 points, albeit with a better goal difference by one.
Indeed, both the Spaniard and the German have received nothing but support from their clubs in recent years, something Mustafi is keen to praise when analysing them ahead of the big clash.
“I read that the average tenure of a coach in Europe’s top five leagues is nine months. But it takes a lot longer to build something together,” he said.
“Arsenal gave Arteta time and resources to implement his ideas. Last season Arsenal were first for a long time and were runners-up, now the Gunners are top of the table again.
“I’m no longer as close as I was when I was at Arsenal, but I think the club has managed to get everyone in the same boat and sailing in the same direction. This is the only way to guarantee long-term success, and this is the only way you can set yourself apart from the others.
“There are parallel (with Liverpool). Klopp initially sparked euphoria, he was criticized at times, but he continuously built a foundation in Liverpool and celebrated success with his team. For me personally, this is exactly the right path.”
‘I only left Liverpool because I lost my place – Mo Salah shouldn’t copy my decision’
Liverpool star Mo Salah has been told not to leave the Anfield club in the summer by a former Reds striker – who only left because he was pushed out of the team
Mohamed Salah has been urged to remain at Liverpool beyond this season.
The Egyptian’s phenomenal goal-scoring form has showed no signs of slowing down this term. Salah already has 15 goals and seven assists in 24 games across all competitions, celebrating his 200th strike for the Reds in a 2-1 victory over Crystal Palace.
It comes after the 31-year-old was strongly linked with a £150million move to Saudi Pro League side Al-Ittihad in the summer. Salah was even offered a reported £100m basic salary, a private jet and the chance to buy shares in the club later down the line – but Liverpool held firm to keep their talisman.
There is still a chance that Salah could join his former team-mates Fabinho, Roberto Firmino, Georginio Wijnaldum and Jordan Henderson in the Middle-East next summer. But legendary Reds striker Ian Rush, who left Anfield for Leeds in 1996, thinks the two-time African Footballer of the Year is still good enough to cut it at the top level.
Rush told the Liverpool Echo: “I’d love him to sign a new contract, it’d be great. He’s got another year after this. He’s a perfect professional and the younger players can learn from him. I’d love him to extend his contract. We don’t know what will happen but I’m sure every Liverpool supporter would love that as well.
“I left because I wasn’t playing regularly. I just wanted to play football. I didn’t want to sit on the bench and that’s what you’ve got to look at. I left here to go to Leeds United because I wanted to be playing week in, week out.
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