Jurgen Klopp has discussed the return of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane from international duty and has hailed the arrival of Luis Diaz at Liverpool.
Liverpool resume their Champions League campaign with a trip to face Inter Milan tomorrow evening, with the Reds travelling to the San Siro for the first leg of their last-16 tie with the Italian champions.
Klopp’s options have been boosted in recent days with the return of Salah and Mane, the duo having reached the final of the Africa Cup of Nations with Egypt and Senegal respectively before returning to the starting side against Burnley on Sunday.
The German is delighted to have the pair back among his forward options and says their return is a ‘massive boost’ ahead of a challenging period in the season.
“It helps we have options for different situations and that is what we try to use. We need fresh legs for this game and it gives us a massive boost in a really tough period of the year,” he said at his pre-match press conference.
“The boys have to deal with it too as if I have more opportunities to make changes it means I cannot always play the same line up.
“Both boys [Mane and Salah] do not drink alcohol so it is not a problem, as if you celebrate a big win it can affect recovery time. They both recovered extremely quickly. For Mo, he was back in a few days but for Sadio it was a week as he had some celebrations in between.”
Klopp also spoke on the impression Luis Diaz has made since his January arrival from Porto, with the winger having enjoyed an exciting full debut during the 2-0 win over Leicester on February 10.
The Colombia international was an unused substitute at Burnley at the weekend and Klopp says he will give the 25-year-old time to adapt despite his impressive first appearances for the Reds.
“Luis is a top boy and a top class player which he has showed in his two appearances for us, as he didn’t play against Burnley.
“As with any new player, we have to get used to different things in the team and all the other players are fit, who know exactly what I want from them, so we give Luis a bit more time to adapt.
“His joy for football is so obvious and in training he cannot stop smiling. I have never had a player like this and I’m so happy to have him here.
“We expect a lot from him in the future and I have a good feeling it will be a really nice story for him at Liverpool.”
