Arne Slot has confirmed that Virgil van Dijk is available to play against Southampton this weekend, providing a comprehensive update on the squad's fitness. The Liverpool skipper left the Netherlands camp before their second international break fixture on Tuesday evening, yet he is ready to take on his old team on Sunday.
Harvey Elliott has rejoined the team training, while Trent Alexander-Arnold, Alisson Becker, Federico Chiesa, and Diogo Jota are still on the mend.
In today's pre-match press conference, when queried about Alisson's progress, Slot remarked, "We are cautious with everyone, particularly regarding muscle injuries.
"He has resumed training with the goalkeeper coach. He hasn't joined team training yet, but we expect that to happen shortly. Then we'll assess his match fitness level.
"He's improving steadily but won't be ready for Sunday's game."
Regarding the rest of his squad, the head coach stated: "Virgil is doing well. He's participating in today's training session.
"Trent has not yet joined the training, but he's making progress, and we anticipate his return to the team shortly.
"Harvey has resumed training with us, which is encouraging, especially since he's been sidelined for several weeks. It's great to see him back on the training field with the team.
"Jota and Federico are still not fully integrated with the group. Federico might join in one of today's exercises.
"We expect all of them to return between now and the next few weeks, although the final phase of recovery is often the most challenging. We'll have to wait and see. However, Virgil is completely fine."
When asked about the likelihood of Alexander-Arnold, Alisson, and Jota being fit for the upcoming Anfield matches against Real Madrid and Manchester City next week, Slot responded:
"We'll have to wait and see, as the final days of recovery are always the most uncertain," he said.
"The transition from individual training sessions to joining the group training is always a significant step.
"At this point, it's hard to predict whether it will take one, two, or three days, or perhaps even longer. What I can say is that I don't expect Alisson and Jota to be available for the game.
"As for Trent, his situation is more uncertain."
