Liverpool star Salah set for return after negative Covid-19 test

Jurgen Klopp has confirmed that Mohamed Salah has tested negative for coronavirus and will resume training with Liverpool on Monday.

The Egyptian missed the Reds’ 3-0 win over Leicester on Sunday evening after testing positive for Covid-19 during the international break.

But Klopp revealed after the game that Salah could now return in the Champions League against Atalanta on Wednesday night, with the 28-year-old set to be part of the Liverpool squad which undergoes a round of UEFA testing on Monday.

Klopp said: “That’s what I’ve heard. A negative today. I think from now he is pretty normal in all the testing. 

“Tomorrow [Monday] we have UEFA testing for the Champions League and I am pretty sure he will be in that. He can now train with us tomorrow. 

“There could be Premier League tests the day after? Yes, there are two tests in the next two days so he will be tested, like all of us.”

The news will come as a significant boost to the Reds boss, who saw Naby Keita join a growing injury list on Sunday. Keita lasted just 53 minutes against Leicester before suffering a hamstring issue, which will be assessed at Kirkby.

Liverpool could also be without Xherdan Shaqiri for their upcoming games, with the Swiss star having picked up a problem during international duty.

Klopp said: “Naby felt his hamstring and was not able to play on, otherwise he would have stayed on the pitch.

“Shaq had a muscle injury with the national team which he didn’t really realise. He trained with us, and after that he felt it a little bit. We made a scan and they found that he has an injury from five or six days. 

“Nobody knew about it, not even Shaq, and so he was not able to be involved.”

Liverpool moved level on points with Premier League leaders Tottenham after a dominant display against Leicester, a result which means the Reds set a new club record of 64 home league games unbeaten.

“It is incredible but all about the boys,” Klopp said. “It is really difficult to achieve something like this but when you think about how tight a lot of the games were the boys had to dig in and they did that. 

“We really enjoy playing here, it is our ground, our home and everything feels like home even when then the people aren’t here – which is absolutely b***ocks or bulls**t, whatever the right word is. 

“The boys on the pitch performance-wise are incredible and that is the only reason for the number. It is difficult to set records at this club because our fathers and grandfathers were obviously pretty good. 

“I am happy for the players but it doesn’t feel like this in the moment because we play on Wednesday!”