Jurgen Klopp has admitted he does not know who Liverpool will have fit to play in Sunday’s League Cup final against Chelsea.
The German made five changes to his side for Wednesday’s 4-1 victory over Luton Town, as the Reds were left without 11 senior players, including Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez, because of injury. But such absences did not prevent Liverpool from clinching all three points against the Hatters as second half goals from Virgil van Dijk, Cody Gakpo, Luis Diaz, and Harvey Elliott secured a convincing win.
With so many players sidelined, Klopp named five academy graduates who had never even started a Premier League game on his bench against Luton. And the manner of the win enabled him to bring on Bobby Clark and James McConnell, and also hand a senior debut to 18-year-old forward Jayden Danns.
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And while Klopp was thrilled to be able to again hand minutes to his side’s youngsters, he admitted he remains in the dark about when his senior stars will return from injury.
“No (no new updates), I don’t even know if these boys can play again to be honest,” he conceded. “The situation is not great, absolutely not.
“I am so happy the kids came on and played. Dannsy said 50 times, ‘Thank you, boss! Thank you, boss!’ I am so happy I could give them that opportunity. It’s just nice and the boys deserve it.
“Obviously, for us, a lot of super important games coming up and we don’t know (when they’ll be back). We go day by day.
“I cannot say anything about it and I don’t know. But after Brentford I had no clue that the situation would be like it is now. Let’s see.
“One phrase still stands. As long as we have 11, we will go for it. That’s all I can promise.”
Olivia Martin is a dedicated sports journalist based in the UK. With a passion for various athletic disciplines, she covers everything from major league championships to local sports events, delivering up-to-the-minute updates and in-depth analysis.
