Liverpool are nearly back in action – just a few more days to go before the run-in begins. Unfortunately, they haven’t come out of the international break without worry.
The Reds will wait for news on Andy Robertson after went off injured playing for Scotland against Northern Ireland.
There’s also talk from Luis Diaz’s dad that isn’t exactly what the Reds want to hear, while Pep Lijnders was linked with a major European job.
Andy Robertson will be assessed on his return to Liverpool’s AXA Training Centre having suffered yet another injury on international duty.
The Scotland captain limped out of his side’s friendly match against Northern Ireland on Tuesday night at Hampden Park with an ankle injury, following a heavy challenge from Sunderland’s Trai Hume.
He was replaced in the 37th minute after the tackle, by Lewis Ferguson, having signalled to the bench that he couldn’t continue.
It represents the SECOND TIME this season that Jurgen Klopp has lost his left back following injury while playing for Scotland.
Back in October, the 30-year-old collided with Spain goalkeeper Unai Simon, leading to a long-term shoulder injury which necessitated surgery.
The Champions League winner only returned to first-team action during the last week of January in an FA Cup match against Norwich City.
Nonetheless, Mane Diaz gave an interview to El VBAR CARACOL in which he referenced other Colombian stars who have played at the Bernabeu and added that he hoped his son could follow suit.
“It was hoped that Luis could come to Madrid,” Papa Diaz said. “Falcao and James were already there. Hope has not been lost. He is playing and the clubs are active.”
Diaz senior has actually talked about a move to Spain before – but that time it was Barcelona.
The Telegraph reports that Pep Lijnders is in the running to be the new Ajax manager. The Dutch giants will appoint a boss after this season, with John van’t Schip currently working as an interim.
Ajax have had a horrendous season by their standards and while they’ve worked their way back up to fifth, they’re currently 31 points behind leaders PSV Eindhoven after just 26 games. Change is needed, then.
And Lijnders finds himself on their shortlist. The Dutchman will leave Liverpool this summer as Jurgen Klopp departs, having worked with the Reds for nearly a decade – only a short break to be NEC boss in 2018 split his spell with the Reds into two.
Lijnders has made no secret of the fact that he wants to get back into management, though. He talked this year about not wanting to work under any new manager at Liverpool, instead seeing Klopp’s exit as the right time for him to pursue management once again.
