Press conferenceJürgen Klopp discusses Naby Keita's return from injury

The midfielder has been absent for most of the 2022-23 campaign due to injury but recently returned to training with his teammates.

The Reds have five fixtures before club football pauses for the 2022 World Cup in Qatar next month, with Klopp asked on Friday if Keita could feature prior to the stoppage.

"Naby is still in a longer rehab phase. It will be tight," the boss responded. "I think Naby will have a full pre-season with us in December and that will be perfect for him."

On whether it's likely to be towards the New Year before having a fully-fit Keita, Klopp added: "Definitely. Even if he can play before, he has no chance to be fully fit.

"We have five games, so I wouldn't rule him out now for one or two of them. But in this moment, there's still a gap to fill."

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