Jurgen Klopp won't rush Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez as defenders return to Liverpool training after long absence

ByEurosport

Published 13/07/2021 at 19:28 GMT

“So, especially Virg and Joe will not have double sessions now for the first few days with the team; they have a second session of the day but it’s with Andreas Schlumberger, with the rehab department, physiotherapy, these kinds of things. That’s for these two. [They] look really good. I don’t know exactly when we can make the next steps but it will happen in the next four weeks, for sure."

Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has moved to rein in expectation over Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez.

The pair returned to training with Liverpool on Tuesday, with Gomez and Van Dijk on the road to recovery from serious knee injuries.

Liverpool felt the absence of their star central defenders last season, as they failed to defend the Premier League title they won in the 2019/20 campaign.

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With Gomez and Van Dijk back with the squad, hope will be high among Reds supporters that the pair will be at full tilt for the start of the season in August.

Klopp did not give any indication on a likely return date for the defenders, but said they are behind the rest of the squad in terms of fitness.

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No, they aren’t [at the same level as the others], but it’s different,” Klopp told the club’s official website. “Let’s start with: all four look really good, I have to say. Look really good.

Now we are in constant talks with the medical department, the fitness department, the rehab department about what is right for them today: do they have to do maybe a little bit more than the rest of the group, do they have to do a little bit less?

“So, especially Virg and Joe will not have double sessions now for the first few days with the team; they have a second session of the day but it’s with Andreas Schlumberger, with the rehab department, physiotherapy, these kinds of things. That’s for these two. [They] look really good. I don’t know exactly when we can make the next steps but it will happen in the next four weeks, for sure – we will get a big step forward.”

Liverpool kick off their Premier League campaign with a trip to Norwich on August 14.

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