Jurgen Klopp admitted Liverpool had to take great care during Dominik Szoboszlai’s rehab for a hamstring injury.
Since playing a few minutes in a brief cameo during the 1-0 win over Nottingham Forest, the Hungarian’s fitness levels appear to be holding.
However, it remains to be seen how much of a part he’ll have to play in upcoming meetings with Sparta Prague and Manchester City.
“He loves playing football. Being injured is for him tough, tough, tough,” the 56-year-old told liverpoolfc.com.
“It was not an injury where it was painful every day or whatever, he was just not allowed to train properly, how it is with muscle injuries. So, that’s the reason why we had to be careful in his rehab, because if you would have asked Dom, he could have trained completely with the team for two or three weeks, but all the medical advice told us no, we have to wait. And that’s what we did.
“Now he is back, played a few minutes, is in the squad. All the rest, we will see.”
The Merseysiders also welcomed Mo Salah back to team training, with footage dispelling rumours over Caomihin Kelleher’s fitness.
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A huge boost for Liverpool
Amid injuries to the likes of Curtis Jones and Ryan Gravenberch, it’s a huge relief to see a talent of Szoboszlai’s calibre back in the squad.
No matter the temptation, of course, his minutes must be managed carefully according to medical advice.
It’s a tough balancing act for Jurgen Klopp given the scale of the challenge before the international break, but one we can’t afford to take risks on.