Liverpool Given Big Injury Boost Ahead Of West Ham Game As Klopp Provides Update On 21 Year Old’s Fitness

Liverpool Given Big Injury Boost Ahead Of West Ham Game As Klopp Provides Update On 21 Year Old’s Fitness

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Ryan Gravenberch did not suffer an injury in the 3-1 win over LASK Linz on Thursday night.

The 21-year-old went down and had to be substituted midway through the second half in Austria but,  when asked about the midfielder’s fitness after the game, Klopp played down the seriousness of the issue:

“He [Gravenberch] told me he had a cramp. I think that makes sense absolutely, it was his first start for a long while I think.”

The Dutchman has not started a competitive game since May so, as Klopp mentions, it was not a complete surprise that he couldn’t last the full 90 minutes against LASK.

From the looks of things, though, Gravenberch should be able to take his place on the bench for the West Ham fixture on Sunday afternoon.

Latest Liverpool injury news ahead of West Ham

While Gravenberch is set to be available, there are doubts about the fitness of Trent Alexander-Arnold. The fullback hasn’t featured since before the international break after injuring his hamstring during the 3-0 win over Aston Villa.

Thiago, meanwhile, hasn’t played for the Reds so far this season, after suffering a setback in his recovery from a hip operation he underwent in May.

Klopp has said that the Spaniard is back running outside but there is no indication that he is ready to return to full training. It is not expected that Thiago or Alexander-Arnold will be in the matchday squad to take on West Ham this weekend.

Van Dijk is ready to return to Premier League action

One player who will be back in contention for Sunday’s game is Virgil van Dijk. The Liverpool captain has served his two-match ban following his red card against Newcastle.

He played the full 90 minutes against LASK midweek so he won’t have any issues with match sharpness when he faces the Hammers.

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David Tully

David Tully

David has worked as a football reporter for the last fifteen years. Having started as an intern at Snack Media, he then went on to become a freelancer, working on various different sites. At the start of 2023, he took up his current role as content writer for National World's Football News Network.