Liverpool forward Roberto Firmino is closer to returning from injury, according to manager Jurgen Klopp.
- Firmino picked up a muscle injury
- Missed Nottingham Forest game
- Klopp says Firmino is close to return
WHAT HAPPENED? Firmino hadsuffered a muscle injury in training which saw him miss out on Liverpool’s match with Nottingham Forest and that will see him sidelined for their next two games, against West Ham and Tottenham Hotspur.
In his pre-match conference ahead of Liverpool’s match with West Ham on Wednesday, Klopp stated that the Brazilian striker has not yet got back to training with the rest of the team. However, he could return to partial training soon and Klopp hopes Firmino features for the club before the season ends.
WHAT THEY SAID: “If everything goes well I think he could be in partial training today. That’s what I heard yesterday. He was not in team training yet but he could do warming up, if we do rondos he could do that and then he has again to do his own programme. So it means, yes, [he is] much closer, much, much closer,” said the Liverpool manager.
THE BIGGER PICTURE: Firmino’s contract with Liverpool expires at the end of the season, and the Brazilian forward’s eight-year journey at Anfield will come to an end as he will not be renewing with the Reds. During his time at the Merseyside club, Firmino has won seven trophies including one Champions League and one Premier League. Fans will be hoping he gets a proper farewell before he says goodbye.
“We are still thinking that… this week, no, I hope that at the end of the week he is closer, but so far he was not in team training, so that’s it,” stated Klopp on whether Firmino could get a send-off at the end of the season.
IN THREE PHOTOS:
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WHAT NEXT? Firmino will become a free agent once his contract with Liverpool expires at the end of the season. Many clubs are interested in signing him in the summer, including Inter Milan.
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