Mohamed Salah has returned to Liverpool training ahead of their Champions League meeting with Genk on Wednesday.
The Egyptian star missed Sunday’s 1-1 draw with Manchester United due to an ankle injury sustained before the international break but is now poised to feature in the midweek encounter.
Divock Origi took his place at Old Trafford, where a late Adam Lallana strike was sufficient to preserve the Reds’ undefeated record in the Premier League but not enough to maintain their remarkable sequence of victories.
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It seems that the 27-year-old, who scored 27 goals in 52 outings last term, could be back in the starting XI in Genk, despite the club playing their cards close to their chest when discussing his condition in recent days.
This will come as a major boost to the team, who missed his presence at the weekend.
“Whenever Salah comes out for whatever reason and you’ve got Origi coming in, the drop-off is very big,” former Liverpool star Steve Nicol told ESPN FC in the aftermath of the United draw.
“Sometimes you can get away with it if you have Firmino and Mane at their best.
“But Firmino and Mane were way short of the mark.”
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Speaking on Sunday to Sky Sports, manager Jurgen Klopp revealed: “Mo was not ready, that’s how it is.
“He couldn’t train with the team; I don’t know where it came from that everybody said he will play. There was pretty much no chance for today, maybe for Wednesday, we have to see.”
It has been a busy year for Salah, who played a key role as Liverpool won the Champions League thanks to a 2-0 victory over Tottenham at the conclusion of the 2018-19 season.
He was then a key figure for Egypt as they made a run to the last 16 of the African Cup of Nations and quickly returned to the Liverpool starting XI.
Prior to missing the Old Trafford clash last weekend, he had been a virtual ever present for Klopp’s side, missing only the Carabao Cup success over MK Dons.
Indeed, since joining the Anfield club from Roma in the summer of 2017, he has missed only seven fixtures, posting an enviable record for durability.
Now the odds are that he will return to feature against the Belgians, leaving long-term absentee Nathaniel Clyne as the only player missing from the defending champions’ panel.