Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp has emphasised the club’s cautious approach towards Mohamed Salah as the forward resumes training following a hamstring injury, just in time for Thursday’s Europa League match against Sparta Prague.
Salah’s comeback serves as a welcome reinforcement for the Premier League leaders as they gear up for the first leg of the round of 16 in Prague, followed by a crucial encounter against Manchester City at Anfield on Sunday.
“Mo Salah has travelled with us, he’s trained for two days and is full of energy,” Klopp said in a news conference on Wednesday.
“We want to be careful, but this is a super intense period of the season. We want to use him. It’s just good news.”
Salah, who has scored 19 goals for Liverpool this season in all competitions, was injured while representing Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations. He has not played since Feb. 17 when he came off the bench and scored in a 4-1 win at Brentford.
“It was an unlikely situation where he had so long out, played an incredible game [versus] Brentford and then was out, that is how it is,” Klopp said.
Klopp clarified that the decision regarding Egypt captain Salah’s participation in the national team during the upcoming international break, particularly for a friendly against New Zealand, is not up to him.
“That will be decided by a different department. Let’s see how long he can play now,” he said. “It’s not up to me; we’re not involved.”
Additionally, midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai will be ready for selection. He recently made his return to action in the league after being sidelined for over a month due to a hamstring injury.