Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp will wait until as late as possible before deciding if Thiago Alcantara is ready to make his comeback at Newcastle United on Wednesday.
Klopp says the midfielder is edging closer to fitness, but he is still prepared to be cautious as to whether the Spain international joins the travelling squad.
Thiago has not played since October, when he was injured in the Merseyside derby.
“He has done parts of training so far. On Friday he trained a full session, but the session was a reduced session so he has to be part of full team training,” said Klopp, speaking immediately after Sunday’s 1-1 draw with West Bromwich Albion.
“It is not about training one day with the team and then you can play in the Premier League again.
“It looks quite promising at the moment, but I cannot say more about it. I don’t know. The plan was for him to train completely normally (on Monday and Tuesday). We will see.”
Liverpool are sure to be without centre-back Joel Matip due to a groin problem as they seek only their third away win of this Premier League season.
It is a curiosity that Klopp’s side has tended to produce its best against teams higher in the division. The 7-0 win over Crystal Palace followed dropped points away at Brighton and Fulham. Their other away win this season was at Chelsea.
“The boys are a top group,” said Klopp. “They were a top group after winning 7-0 and they are a top group after drawing against West Brom. That’s how it is and that doesn’t change. I want to win more than anything else but it doesn’t happen all the time. This is completely fine. We will learn from it and play football again.”
Asked if such erratic results offered hope Liverpool are slipping from their usual levels of consistency, Klopp said: “If the perspective from outside changes, I can imagine that. But I’m not a young manager anymore and I can judge these things the right way.
“We are not happy about it. We are the opposite. But it is over, we cannot change that any more, we can just make sure in exactly the same situation (as against West Brom), it does not happen again.
“But I do not know how the Newcastle game will be.”
