It has been a difficult few weeks for Emre Can in which the German has been heavily criticised for a run of underwhelming performances.
Though the team overall endured a torrid January, Can’s lack of consistency emerged as a glaring issue with many calling for more from the midfielder.
His recent struggles seemingly come down to an on-going injury problem that has forced him to play through pain, according to Jurgen Klopp.
The Reds boss told the Liverpool Echo: “Emre has for the first time had no problems with his calves.”
“We need him. In different parts of the game he is really consistent for us, and Chelsea was his best game for a few weeks, that is for sure.”
“He has this calf issue which we are still looking into and trying to find out why. Is it his back? Is it his ankle?”
“It lets him stay on the pitch but it makes him struggle a little bit. We could have said ‘stay off for two or three weeks’, but we don’t have a lot of options.”
“We’ve tried to work on this while he is playing. It would be nice if we have now found the exact reason and the solution. Everyone could see the difference when he’s able to play without issues.”
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A poor month on the 23-year-old’s part has combined with the fact his contract runs out at the end of next season in fuelling rumours that he could leave the club.
His spirited display during the mid-week draw against Chelsea marked significant improvement on previous weeks as he showcased the kind of power and work rate that made him one of Klopp’s favourites upon the manager’s arrival at Anfield.
The former Borussia Dortmund coach has shown a lot of faith in Can and seems to be reluctant to drop him from the starting eleven.
Let’s hope he can put his calf issue behind him and rediscover his form as we head into a set of season-defining games.