Van Dijk Looking Good on Return from Knee Injury, Says Klopp

Virgil van Dijk. (Reuters)
Virgil van Dijk. (Reuters)
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Van Dijk Looking Good on Return from Knee Injury, Says Klopp

Virgil van Dijk. (Reuters)
Virgil van Dijk. (Reuters)

Liverpool manager Juergen Klopp said center back Virgil van Dijk had made good progress in training as the Dutch international prepares to return from a serious knee injury.

Van Dijk, 30, has been sidelined since undergoing surgery on a knee injury he picked up in the Premier League match against Everton in October.

Van Dijk, Joe Gomez (knee), Joel Matip (ankle) and Trent Alexander-Arnold (thigh) are all working on their fitness and took part in Liverpool's pre-season training in Salzburg, Austria.

“All four look really good, I have to say,” Klopp told the club website.

“Virg and Joe will not have double sessions now for the first few days with the team ... I don't know exactly when we can make the next steps but it will happen in the next four weeks, for sure - we will get a big step forward.

“Joel looks good, absolutely, he is the closest probably to normal training... Trent was a serious enough injury but now not a major one, I would say. He is close but in the moment, probably the next five or six days he has a special program.”

Liverpool, who finished third last season, begin their new league campaign at promoted Norwich City on Aug. 14.



Musiala a Doubt with Illness Ahead of Bayern Munich's 1st Game of 2025

FILED - 06 April 2024, Baden-Württemberg, Heidenheim: Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala and Joshua Kimmich stand on the pitch before the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Heidenheim and Bayern Munich at Voith-Arena. Photo: Tom Weller/dpa
FILED - 06 April 2024, Baden-Württemberg, Heidenheim: Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala and Joshua Kimmich stand on the pitch before the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Heidenheim and Bayern Munich at Voith-Arena. Photo: Tom Weller/dpa
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Musiala a Doubt with Illness Ahead of Bayern Munich's 1st Game of 2025

FILED - 06 April 2024, Baden-Württemberg, Heidenheim: Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala and Joshua Kimmich stand on the pitch before the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Heidenheim and Bayern Munich at Voith-Arena. Photo: Tom Weller/dpa
FILED - 06 April 2024, Baden-Württemberg, Heidenheim: Bayern Munich's Jamal Musiala and Joshua Kimmich stand on the pitch before the German Bundesliga soccer match between FC Heidenheim and Bayern Munich at Voith-Arena. Photo: Tom Weller/dpa

Bayern Munich may have to cope without its standout attacking midfielder Jamal Musiala in its first game of the year after he caught the flu, The Associated Press reported.
Bayern said on Thursday that Musiala would have to “take a break for the time being” and couldn't train with the team ahead of playing Borussia Monchengladbach on Saturday in the Bundesliga.
Musiala has 14 goals and six assists in 22 games across all competitions for Bayern this season. His nine goals tie him for fourth highest in the Bundesliga.
It's not clear who'll be in goal on Saturday after Daniel Peretz injured a kidney in training on Wednesday. Peretz had been covering for the injured Manuel Neuer before the winter break while Neuer recovered from a broken rib.
Peretz also played in a 6-0 friendly win over Austrian club Salzburg on Monday, when Neuer wasn’t in the squad. Long-time reserve Sven Ulreich could also be an option.
Bayern leads the Bundesliga by four points from last season's champion Bayer Leverkusen, which plays at Borussia Dortmund on Friday.