Roberto Firmino has reported good news about his hamstring injury, but the striker has ruled out a Liverpool return against Leicester on Friday.
Firmino has been out of the game since the Reds returned to Merseyside from a training camp in Dubai, having missed the last two matches against Man City and Aston Villa.
This comes at a difficult stage for Liverpool, who are also without Luis Diaz and Diogo Hota, and have seen him replaced by Fabio Carvalho and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.
Jurgen Klopp will probably have to make a decision on one of the two on the left of his attack and for the visit to Leicester, and Firmino will provide an update on his fitness.
In a conversation with talkSPORT, the Brazilian said that he “has already recovered”, but added that “everything is fine” his goal will return in the match with Brentford on January 2.
“I have already recovered, thank God. I will probably train [on Thursday],” he explained.
“If everything goes well, I will be ready not for the next game, but for the next one. So everything is fine.”
Firmino’s availability for Monday night’s trip to Brentford will be a boost as Liverpool are unlikely to be able to call on new signing Cody Gakpo.
According to The Athletic, the club will need special permission from the Premier League due to the fact that an application for a work permit for the Gakpo cannot be submitted until January 1, and the Eredivisie transfer window does not open until January 2.
Simply put, Firmino’s return would be a big plus, as number 9 has shown impressive form in the first half of the season.
In the opening 16 of 21 matches, the 31-year-old scored nine goals and made four assists, and his absence from the Brazilian national team at the World Cup was regarded as a shock.
“Of course, it was unpleasant that I was not called up for the World Cup, but, as I said, this is part of God’s plan, and I am following God’s plan,” Firmino added.
“The fact that I didn’t go to the World Cup really motivates me more and more, so I will work hard to return to Selecao.
