Liverpool coach Jurgen Klopp clarified today, Thursday, the position of goalkeeper Alisson Becker and striker Diogo Jota from participating in the Community Shield match against Manchester City, and also talked about Firmino and Sadio Mane.
Jota injured his thigh during training and Klopp did not specify a possible date for his return, but Alisson, who suffers from an abdominal injury, will be back in time for the first round of the new Premier League season.
Klopp told reporters - before Saturday's game at King Power Stadium - "Alison trained today, more than the day before. He will be ready for Fulham (on August 6), but he will not participate in the weekend match. For Diogo it will take some time. Unfortunately".
Klopp also confirmed that he is putting Roberto Firmino in his plans, as the Brazilian striker - who has entered the final year of his contract - is attracting the interest of many European clubs.
"Bobby is the heart and soul of this team," Klopp said. "That's why I'm glad he's been training with us so far. For me there is no doubt about his importance to the team."
Sadio Mane
Klopp said he was saddened by the departure of Sadio Mane after his move to Bayern Munich, but was happy that the Senegalese striker had revealed his intentions so early, which allowed Liverpool to find a replacement with Darwin Nunez joining the club last June.
"We lost Sadio, who was an important player in the starting line-up for six years," Klopp said. "He told us he wanted a new challenge. He told us it early enough and we accepted it. We had time to prepare and that's what we did."
Liverpool lost the league title to City last season by one point.
When asked if the Community Shield Cup was important to the team, Klopp said he would take it very seriously.
The German coach said, "It is the last domestic cup tournament that we have not won so far, and we will strive to achieve the title."
"If you win it is a very important competition. But if you lose it becomes less important," he joked.