Liverpool (England)
will play a warm-up match against Leverkusen this Thursday, while Dutch defender Van Dijk is expected to return to action after a nine-month absence due to injury.
Liverpool (England)
Manager Jurgen Klopp has stated that Van Dijk has done well in practice and looks ready for the game now.
Van Dijk, now 30, joined the
Liverpool (England)
has been a central player in the back four since and has helped the team to a
European crown
Champions and
England Premier Soccer League
League title. But in the Merseyside derby last October, Van Dijk suffered a serious knee ligament injury after colliding with Everton goalkeeper Pickford and underwent surgery. Van Dijk has since been recovering from the injury and missed this summer's
European cup (e.g. soccer)
But after a nine-month absence, Van Dijk is finally expected to make a comeback. Van Dijk is currently traveling with
Liverpool (England)
Conducting pre-season practice preparations this Thursday
Liverpool (England)
will play a warm-up match against Leverkusen, while the
Liverpool (England)
Manager Jurgen Klopp stated, "I'm not sure, but I expect Van Dijk to have the opportunity to play a few minutes."
Klopp went on to say: "He looked very good in practice, maybe we can play him, but I still need to have some final words. He looks ready now, so let's see what the final decision is. If you see the game now as part of his return to practice, it makes sense."
Klopp also spoke about
Liverpool (England)
Another injured defender, Gomez: "Gomez is also very close to coming back, there's no game between them, they have different injuries, but he's very close to coming back. If Van Dijk is able to play 20 minutes now, then Gomez might play in the following game, we'll see. In practice, they both looked good."
Klopp, however, focused on not wanting to put his players at risk. "I will always pay attention to their performance in practice, everyone can see that they are in good condition, but we are not in a hurry and don't need them to play five pre-season warm-up matches right now to get ready for the start of the new season. The season is long, and after the serious injuries, they need to think about their careers, not let them catch the first round of the new season. It's good for the fans and the coaches to be more patient with them and we expect them to come back into the team gradually."
