With the return of Sadio Mane and Mohamed Salah, Liverpool are almost back to full strength as they prepare to play Burney at Turf Moor on Sunday afternoon.
Following his achievements at the African Cup of Nations, Sadio Mane returned to Liverpool training on Friday.
5 things spotted as Mane and Salah trains together for first time since AFCON
Salah made his comeback for Jurgen Klopp’s side in a 2-0 win against Leicester on Thursday night, coming off the bench for the hosts.
Mane is expected to follow suit this weekend as the Reds prepare to play Burnley at Turf Moor on Sunday afternoon.
Liverpool are nearly back to full strength as they attempt to reclaim the Premier League championship from Manchester City.
The following are 5 things spotted from Friday training session.
Returns of Mane
Sadio Mane returned from the African Cup of Nations festivities on Wednesday evening, and it was back to work on Friday.
The attacker has been relatively quiet in the first half of the season, with Salah and Diogo Jota stealing the limelight, but he’ll be full of confidence after helping his nation win a big event.
Liverpool will need all the support they can get to catch City in the second half of the season, so Klopp will be hoping Mane can build on that momentum in the second part of the season.
In his first practice back, he appeared to be incredibly focused, but whether or not he plays on Sunday will be a last-minute decision.
Klopp remarked in his pre-Burnley press conference: “Is Sadio going to be available? It’s up to us to figure it out. After training, we’ll make a choice. Physically, we’ll have to examine how he’s been the past three days.”
Salah is full with inspiration
Salah had an incredible first half of the season, but after coming so close to winning it all, the AFCON will leave a sour taste in his mouth.
Liverpool will need him to maintain his form until the end of 2021, so the Egyptian can’t linger on it for too long.
5 things spotted as Mane and Salah trains together for first time since AFCON
Klopp will be hoping Salah can use his disappointment as incentive to keep improving, and it appeared he was doing just that during his cameo appearance against Leicester.
Salah was unlucky not to score after hitting the crossbar and posing a continuous danger down the right flank.
Salah and Mane were rivals last weekend, but it appears like they were able to put their differences aside at training on Friday.
Henderson receives a boost
Jordan Henderson played 78 minutes in the 3-1 FA Cup triumph over Cardiff City at Anfield on Sunday before being forced off due to a back ailment.
Henderson then missed the win against Leicester in midweek, but Klopp has clarified that the injury isn’t significant or long-term, and he should be fit for Sunday’s match against Burnley.
“Hendo will come back,” Klopp remarked. He’ll play on Sunday if nothing occurs.”
And it appeared that this might be the case, since he was putting himself through his paces in training and looking as sharp as ever.
Henderson is a key component of Liverpool’s midfield, and the Reds will rely on him to stay fit for the remainder of the season.
Fitting and firing of Origi
Liverpool are suddenly back to full strength, and Divock Origi is moving closer to returning to first-team play after a knee injury he suffered in December.
Origi has returned to training with the Reds, but has yet to appear in the club’s last two squads since the winter break.
However, the 26-year-old is again healthy and ready to play in this weekend’s encounter at Turf Moor.
Origi is one of the finest super subs in the Premier League, so his return will be welcomed by Klopp.
Undergoing treatment by Gomez
Another player that is available this weekend is Joe Gomez.
After testing positive for Covid-19 and undergoing self-isolation, the defender has been missing from Liverpool’s last two squads.
Gomez, on the other hand, has been back in training this week and is well enough to play against Burnley.
Klopp stated the following: “Both Divock and Joe were unharmed (on Thursday). We had to determine whether or not we wanted a second centre-half on the bench with Joe.”
This season, Virgil van Dijk and Joel Matip have created a fantastic defensive connection, but Gomez is sure that he can compete for a spot beside the Dutchman.
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