Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Naby Keita is set to remain in the injury room ‘for a while’ ahead of Liverpool’s impending visit to Goodison Park.
The German’s pre-match presser comments were relayed on Twitter by The Athletic’s James Pearce as the Reds will face their city rivals without the Guinean, Jordan Henderson, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Thiago Alcantara from the midfield department.
Klopp on Keita: "It's a muscle injury. He will be out for a while."
— James Pearce (@JamesPearceLFC) September 2, 2022
In more positive news, the addition of former Juventus star Arthur Melo furnishes the Reds with some much-needed depth, not to mention a technical operator capable of playing on the left of a midfield three – an option sorely missed amid the ongoing absence of our No.6.
VOTE for Empire of the Kop as Best Club Content Creator (Premier League) here: Football Content Awards
OR on Twitter with the FCA’s one-click Twitter link with: I am voting for @Empireofthekop in @The_FCAs for #BestClubContentCreator (Premier League)
![Melo](https://icdn.empireofthekop.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/09/Melo.jpg)
Whilst the expectation is that our latest signing won’t feature against Frank Lampard’s outfit, we should theoretically have more than enough in the tank to complete the job.
The stunning performances of Harvey Elliott in the middle of the park have largely carried our midfield whilst senior operators have arguably yet to find their peak form in the red shirt.
Without the skipper to choose from beside our 19-year-old starlet, we reckon James Milner will be the man given the nod by Klopp to enter the first-XI and be the standard-setter.
#Ep58 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: Rating Liverpool’s UCL group, making a new signing… & more!