Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Alexis Mac Allister is in with an outside chance of making his comeback from injury in Monday's Premier League clash with Newcastle United.
The Argentine World Cup winner has missed the Reds' last six matches across all competitions owing to a nasty cut to the knee sustained in a 2-0 win over Sheffield United on December 6.
Klopp admitted that the peculiar injury - which required stitches - was unlike anything he had encountered in his managerial career, as studs from a Sheffield United player's boot caught Mac Allister on the knee and went through his muscle onto the bone.
Mac Allister's painful concern was not expected to rule him out for the long-term, although Liverpool have been adopting a cautious approach due to the risk of infection, and he could potentially be seen on the field again when Liverpool begin 2024 at home to the Magpies.
"Macca, we will see what he can do today – if he can step into team training or not," Klopp told reporters in his pre-game press conference. "The decision is not done yet, it's pretty early and the Doc is not here; or maybe he is here but I didn't see him yet. So, we will see."
However, Klopp did not have any good news to share on the condition of Andy Robertson, who has been out since October due to shoulder surgery and is likely to sit out the whole of January as well.
"Robbo still needs more range in his shoulder. Obviously it was a big surgery. [He is] still not even close to team training or whatever," Klopp said. "Can do a lot, everything without using the arm properly, which is obviously good but on the other side shows us we still have a long way to go. For sure, I think, the full January he has to get closer and closer."
Kostas Tsimikas (collarbone), Ben Doak (knee), Joel Matip (knee), Stefan Bajcetic (calf) and Thiago Alcantara (hip) - the latter of whom has not played a single game this term - also remain in the Anfield treatment room, and Klopp offered an in-depth update on the latter two.
There was hope that Thiago would be able to enter the final stages of his recovery in January, and the Spaniard should be in team training at some point next month, but Klopp could not guarantee a return before February with any certainty.
"I am actually not 100 per cent sure. I think Thiago will be at one point in team training. [He] is in a very good moment as well but we just have to make sure we don't use him then too early," Klopp said.
"The hip thing in and around that area is just a long-term thing as well. There were for sure days where he could have easily trained but it's all about how can he be back then in the long term, and that's what we are working on."
As for Bajcetic - who made a complete recovery from an adductor concern before suffering a calf issue related to his growth - Klopp added: "With Stefan, if you ask Stefan how he feels, he says 'good'. 'Could you train?' Yes, he could. It's just we have to be sensible. That's how it is.
"It's a growing issue, it's not growing [increasing] but because of his growing, his age and stuff like this. So we just have to be careful. He could train today fully and then maybe tomorrow as well and then not [for] five weeks.
"It's a medical decision, it's not by the boy, it's not by me. It's just that's how you have to do it if something like this happens. And that makes it so annoying for the boy."
Liverpool sit two points clear of Arsenal at the top of the Premier League table ahead of Monday's game, although the Gunners and Aston Villa are both capable of leapfrogging the Reds before their New Year's Day clash with Eddie Howe's side. body check tags ::
