Liverpool expect Thiago Alcantara to return to action in the New Year.
Thiago has not featured for Jurgen Klopp’s side since undergoing surgery on a hip injury in April which had restricted him to a handful of substitute outings.
The Spain international suffered a series of setbacks after going under the knife which pushed back the timeline of his anticipated first-team comeback.
But Klopp revealed on Friday that Thiago is set to be back in contention for the opening weeks of 2024, which would mark 11 months since his last start.
He said: “It’s an ongoing thing and we cannot put any kind of pressure on there as well.
“We expect him to be back – and I would say probably the start of the New Year. It’s now already November, so that would mean another four weeks.
“I would say that’s probably a realistic thing to try and I can’t wait, to be honest, to have him back. The player he is is just exceptional.
“But it’s nothing where we can have a week by week update because that will not change a lot in this moment.”
The Liverpool manager also hinted that Luis Diaz could be involved in this Sunday’s trip to Luton Town despite the ongoing situation with his family.
Diaz’s parents were kidnapped in his native Colombia last weekend which forced his absence from a comprehensive 3-0 win over Nottingham Forest.
Klopp revealed that the forward is back in training but any decision on his involvement at Kenilworth Road will rest firmly with the player.
“We must wait – if he feels right he will be here and train with us,” he added.
“The session he had with us, you could see that when he is with the boys it is fine. But you could see as well that he didn’t sleep a lot.
“We have just to see how he is and then we go from there. The news from Colombia, I didn’t get them personally, I always get them forwarded.
“I cannot really say what we will do because we just wait where we can pick up the boy from and go from there.
“But it’s all about him, that he makes himself available or not. I will not force anything.”