LONDON: Jurgen Klopp insisted his players have been “incredibly disciplined” with coronavirus restrictions despite Mohamed Salah testing positive after attending his brother’s wedding in Egypt.
Salah was pictured dancing at the celebration without a mask on while back in his homeland during the international break.
Klopp confirmed Liverpool’s top scorer this season is asymptomatic and could return to England on Friday, but Salah will miss Sunday’s Premier League clash against Leicester.
“He is probably back today, that’s what I’ve heard. We are in close contact with him all of the time,” said Klopp.
“At the moment he is in a good place, he feels well, no symptoms, that’s all fine.”
Klopp said he had to resist the temptation to attend a birthday party when home in Germany over the summer and understands why Salah had to attend the wedding.
“In other countries, in other situations, there is more social pressure on you and a brother’s wedding is a very special moment,” he added.
“What I can say about my players is they are incredibly disciplined. Football players in general were incredibly disciplined.
“There were some cases of course, but they really know about the situation.”
Salah’s absence is just the latest blow for Klopp as he tries to patch together a team to face top-of-the-table Leicester.
Liverpool’s defense has been decimated by injury with center-backs Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez expected to miss the rest of the season with serious knee injuries.
Trent Alexander-Arnold will be out for another two weeks due to a calf problem, while captain Jordan Henderson will also miss Sunday’s clash due to a muscle problem.
“There is no season when you have no problem with injuries,” said Klopp.
“In our situation it is slightly different where a lot of players in the same position get injured and seriously injured, that makes it tricky, but no one feels any kind of self-pity or feels sorry for ourselves.
“As long as we have 11 players available we will fight for the three points and we will.
“We have the situation we have. We don’t like it because it’s really hard for the boys that have the injuries but the rest is about working on solutions.
“Whoever deals best with the problems in front of them has the chance to be really successful.”
Klopp sympathetic over ‘social pressure’ on Salah
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Klopp sympathetic over ‘social pressure’ on Salah
- Jurgen Klopp’s squad ravaged by injury as Premier League returns after the international break
Mbappe suffers knee sprain in blow for Real Madrid
Madrid: Real Madrid on Wednesday said that Kylian Mbappe had suffered a knee sprain, delivering a blow to their bid to reel in Liga leaders Barcelona.
“After the tests carried out today on our player Kylian Mbappe by Real Madrid’s medical services, he was diagnosed with a sprain in his left knee. Awaiting evolution,” the club said in a statement.
Real Madrid did not indicate how long the 27-year-old striker would be out for, but a source close to the France superstar told AFP that he would be absent for at least three weeks.
Mbappe, the leading scorer in La Liga this season with 18 goals, is therefore a major doubt for Sunday’s league match at home to Real Betis, Los Merengues’ first after the winter break as they trail Barcelona by four points.
He could also miss the Spanish Super Cup semifinal against arch-rivals Atletico Madrid in Saudi Arabia on January 8, as well as a league fixture against Levante and a Champions League clash with former club Monaco.
Real did not say when or how Mbappe was injured, however he had trained with the team on Tuesday.
He underwent an MRI scan on Wednesday.
Mbappe has enjoyed a stellar 2025, equalling Cristiano Ronaldo’s club record 59 goals in a calendar year, and has at times carried Real Madrid, relieving some pressure on under-fire coach Xabi Alonso.
He has scored 73 goals in 83 matches for Real since making a free transfer move to the Spanish giants from Paris Saint-Germain 18 months ago.
He finished top scorer in La Liga last season with 31 goals — four more than Barcelona’s Robert Lewandowski — and is currently seven goals clear of the next best this season, Barca’s Ferran Torres.
His absence adds to those of Real defenders Daniel Carvajal, Eder Militao, Trent Alexander-Arnold, midfielder Federico Valverde, and forward Brahim Diaz who is at the Africa Cup of Nations with Morocco.
