When Liverpool plays Toulouse, Cody Gakpo—who has been out since nearly a month due to a knee injury—may play for the first time, and Curtis Jones is also available.
With Cody Gakpo back and ready after missing the previous three games due to injury, Jurgen Klopp’s team will have an advantage when they play Toulouse on Thursday.
After scoring in the Reds’ contentious 2-1 loss to Tottenham last month, the 24-year-old developed a knee injury and hasn’t played since. Despite practising ahead of the Merseyside derby at Anfield, Gakpo did not play in the team’s 2-0 victory against Union Saint-Gilloise, nor did he play in the trip to Brighton prior to the international break.
However, Gakpo is now fired up and ready to play, as Klopp stated at his pregame press conference. He can play in the Europa League against Toulouse. The Liverpool manager stated, “Cody is available for the squad as he has been in full training since Sunday.” “Whatever we do with that we will have to see, but that’s good as well.”
Curtis Jones, who may play in the Europa League because his three-match punishment for getting sent off against Tottenham only applies domestically, will also be available for selection by Klopp. After missing games against Brighton and Everton, Jones will play his last domestic suspension match this Sunday when the Reds host Nottingham Forest.
Prior to receiving his red card, Jones had performed admirably to establish himself in the Liverpool starting lineup, having started the previous three Premier League games. It comes after the 22-year-old’s extended injury layoff at the beginning of the previous campaign.
“I had some time out, I think about 15 weeks, but it was the hunger I had to come back and play,” Jones stated in a statement prior to the match against Toulouse. The squad wasn’t performing at its peak when I was gone.
“I matured and my perspective shifted when I recognised an opportunity to support the team. The most crucial thing for me was that I was playing games nonstop. I needed games.”
“You can maintain your position if you perform well. They can amend it if I’m not, and the same goes for Dom [Szoboszlai] or anyone else. That’s simply an elite club; you have a team full of guys who are capable of winning a game.”
Liverpool will be without five first-team players despite having Gakpo and Jones available: Thiago Alcantara, Stefan Bajcetic, Conor Bradley, Ben Doak, and Andy Robertson. Klopp has confirmed that Robertson had shoulder surgery.
“Robbo had surgery and [it] all went well, as good as it could be, so the recovery starts after he wakes up,” Klopp stated. “I believe it took place this morning [on Wednesday].” That is all. The first stage is completed, which is wonderful, even though we have no idea how long it will take or anything else.”