Jurgen Klopp feels the return of Philippe Coutinho and Jordan Henderson “brings quality” to Liverpool as the Anfield side prepare to take on Manchester United.
Coutinho made his comeback in Liverpool’s 1-0 defeat at the hands of Southampton on Wednesday after a six-week spell on the sidelines due to an ankle injury, while Henderson is closing in on a return as well after missing his side’s last three games due to a heel issue.
Joel Matip is another key figure who could feature against United after a spell on the sidelines and Klopp is delighted to have the trio back, although he has yet to make a final decision on whether they will make the squad for Sunday’s encounter at Old Trafford.
“Coutinho and Henderson bring quality,” Klopp stated at a news conference.
“Without Phil, you miss his creativity, finishing. He is very important.
“It is the same with Hendo
Henderson ✅
Coutinho ✅
Matip ✅The boss confirms they all trained yesterday!#MUNLIV pic.twitter.com/c0Wv1GPUaB
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) January 13, 2017
“But when they are not available you do not think about it too much. We had to find a solution and that’s what we did pretty well in the past few weeks, especially when we had to play without Phil.
“Of course, it needed a little time to adapt to the new situation because he has a specific kind of play in how he interprets his role as an offensive midfielder, defending most of the time on the left side.
“That is how it is. But it is good that they are back, if they are back! Coutinho, Henderson and Matip all trained Thursday. I will wait to see how they reacted and make decisions.
“The last game was only two days ago. They are much closer than any other game in the last few weeks.”
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