January 23rd 2024.
After being out of the game for nearly three months due to a shoulder injury sustained while playing for Scotland, Liverpool's star defender Andy Robertson is finally ready to make his comeback. Assistant manager Pep Lijnders has confirmed that Robertson will be available for the second-leg of Liverpool's Carabao Cup semi-final against Fulham.
Robertson's absence has been a major setback for Liverpool, especially since their back-up left-back Kostas Tsimikas also suffered an injury in December. This forced Joe Gomez to fill in on the left side of the defence, leaving a gap in the team. Initially, Robertson was not expected to return until February, but Lijnders surprised everyone by announcing that the 29-year-old is fit and available for selection for the upcoming match against Fulham.
During his pre-match press conference, Lijnders revealed, "Robbo trained with the team yesterday. It's been 13 weeks since his injury and he had a meeting with the surgeon to ensure that he is ready for full contact. He has been doing great rehab work and is now fit according to our sports science team. Now, he just needs to get back into proper team training. It's a big advantage for us to have him back. He's one of our captains and he's been pushing himself to be a part of the squad. He will travel with us to Fulham."
But Robertson is not the only player making a comeback. Curtis Jones, who has been nursing a thigh injury, has also been cleared to play. However, the semi-final has come too soon for Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai. Lijnders explained, "Trent is making good progress in his rehab and is working hard. He's a dedicated player and he knows how important the upcoming weeks are for the team. He will be back in team training by the end of this week and we hope to have him available for the FA Cup. As for Szoboszlai, he trained with us yesterday, but it's too early for him to play tomorrow. He will be ready for the weekend though, if all goes well."
Liverpool currently lead Fulham 2-1 from the first-leg and if they make it to the final, they will face either Chelsea or Middlesbrough. In the meantime, Liverpool is also keeping their eye on Chelsea's Levi Colwill as a possible solution to their ongoing defensive injury crisis. And while Mohamed Salah's agent has revealed that his injury is more serious than initially thought, Liverpool's focus remains on the upcoming matches and securing a spot in the final.
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