Newcastle have been dealt a potentially irritating update on the fitness of Liverpool goalkeeper Alisson Becker, as the Brazilian could make a return to action in time to face United at Anfield next month.
The 6 ft 2 shot-stopper was taken off during the Reds’ opening day victory at home to last season’s Championship champions Norwich City with a suspected calf injury, which the Merseyside outfit expect will sideline him for the next few weeks.
Former West Ham back-up Adrian came on for an unanticipated Anfield debut as Alisson’s replacement, having signed the 32-year-old as a free agent late in the summer window following the departure of Simon Mignolet, who joined RSC Anderlecht for a reported £6.4m rising to £8.2million through various add-ons.
The Spaniard is expected to retain his position between the Reds’ sticks until Alisson returns to training next month, with our televised trip to Anfield on September 14 a fixture he may be able to return for.
Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp does not want to put an exact time frame on the Brazilian’s recovery, though, and told the Champions League holders’ official website: “[It’s] not too cool. It’s a calf injury, which takes him obviously out for a while.
“I don’t want to make now [an] exact prognosis on when he will be back, but it will not be [the Super Cup against Chelsea on] Wednesday, for sure, so now then we have to see. It takes a while, it takes a couple [of] weeks for sure, and we have to see.
“I saw already like ‘six weeks’ and stuff like this, but Ali was not a lot injured in his career, so I would like to wait a little bit to see how he develops in that process now, but he is not in for the next few weeks.”
During his debut in the Premier League curtain-raiser, Adrian conceded Liverpool’s only goal of the night when Teemu Pukki found the back of the net for a consolation strike in the 64th minute.
Not having Allison for an extended period would cause heightening concern on Merseyside, as the goalkeeper signed for a former world record fee of up to £66.8million was one of Liverpool’s key figures last season, as they pushed Manchester City for the title.
In 38 top-flight appearances during his debut term, the Brazilian made 74 saves and 1,076 passes, which ranked him 12th overall out of all Liverpool players in 2018/19.