Liverpool head coach Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that one of his injury victims is on track to recover in time for Sunday's tantalising contest with Manchester United at Old Trafford.
With just eight games to go in the 2023-24 Premier League season, the Merseyside powerhouses remain on course for their second title in five years as they hold a two-point lead atop the standings.
The Reds had been bumped down the standings by Arsenal prior to Thursday's clash with Sheffield United, but they quickly regained first place by seeing off the Blades 3-1 on their own patch.
Liverpool struggled to get out of third gear for the majority of the match, but Darwin Nunez's freak effort, Alexis Mac Allister's stunner and Cody Gakpo's header kept Klopp's side in charge of the race for glory.
With Arsenal and Manchester City in action on Saturday, though, Liverpool could find themselves third before kickoff at Old Trafford, where they were the victims of a gripping 4-3 FA Cup quarter-final defeat in March.
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Midfielder expected to be fit for Red Devils encounter
However, Liverpool should be boosted by the return of one of their defensive enforcers for Sunday's showdown, as Klopp is confident that Wataru Endo will be back at his disposal.
The Japan international was unavailable in midweek owing to a small injury picked up in the weekend's win over Brighton & Hove Albion, allowing Ryan Gravenberch to come in from the start as Mac Allister reverted to number six.
Endo's knock was not a serious one, though, and Klopp said in Thursday's post-game press conference that the summer arrival from Stuttgart is likely to be involved against Erik ten Hag's side.
"We rested him today. We had a feeling that he could've had a chance for tonight but if we leave him out there's a big chance for Sunday. That hasn't changed," the Liverpool Echo quotes Klopp as saying.
Endo's availability represents a significant boost for Klopp, who has witnessed the 31-year-old become a crucial player at the base of his midfield, and his return would allow Mac Allister to operate further up the field.
Seven still missing for Old Trafford trip
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While Endo is expected to be given the green light to play, Klopp must still work around the absence of seven stricken players for Sunday's game, including Diogo Jota (knee), Trent Alexander-Arnold (knee) and Alisson Becker (thigh).
All three aforementioned key players should be re-integrated into parts of team training next week, as is the case with long-term calf victim Stefan Bajcetic, who is now regaining his fitness with the Under-21s.
However, Joel Matip (knee), Ben Doak (knee) and Thiago Alcantara (muscle) are long-term absentees, and it is unclear whether any member of the trio will play again before the campaign is over.
Matip and Thiago's issues could spell the end of their Liverpool careers too, as both experienced troops are out of contract at the end of the season, and no talks over extensions are believed to be ongoing.
Ben Knapton
