Liverpool receive a major fitness boost for the hectic Christmas schedule as £25m man Thiago Alcantara FINALLY returns to full training, while James Milner and Xherdan Shaqiri also return
- Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara has returned to full first-team training
- He is hoping to kick-start his Reds career after joining the club in the summer
- The 29-year-old has not played since picking up an injury against Everton
Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara has returned to full training ahead of a busy Christmas fixture list after missing the last nine games with a knee injury.
The midfielder joined the Reds from Bayern Munich in £25million deal during the summer transfer window but has been limited to just two appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side.
After missing two games due to contracting coronavirus in September, Thiago returned to face Everton but was injured following a rash tackle from Richarlison, which saw the Brazilian sent off.
Thiago Alcantara has returned to full training as he looks to kickstart his Liverpool career
The midfielder has not played since October after picking up an injury against Everton
Jurgen Klopp said the club would not rush him back before he is ready to return to action
The 29-year-old hasn’t played since but is edging close towards a welcome return. It remains to be seen whether he will be fit for Liverpool’s game against West Brom on December 27.
He was pictured undertaking individual training last week with Klopp explaining that the midfielder would have to pass certain tests before he could join in with the rest of the squad.
But it appears Thiago has met the necessary requirements as he was seen back in full team training on Wednesday.
The 29-year-old joined the Reds in the summer but has managed just two appearances so far
James Milner (left) and Xherdan Shaqiri (right) have also returned to full team training
At his press conference last week, the Liverpool boss joked: ‘We already made jokes here; I said, “I think we should sign Thiago for January!” joked Klopp at his press conference last week.
‘He gets closer and closer and he is in a good way, but we will not rush it, we cannot rush it and he will not [either] because he is not allowed to rush it.’
James Milner and Xherdan Shaqiri were also pictured back in full team training.
Milner picked up a hamstring injury against Brighton at the end of November while Shaqiri was ruled out of the Reds’ 4-0 victory over Leicester and has not featured since.
Klopp and his players got into the festive spirit at their new training base in Kirkby by wearing Santa hats as they prepared for their clash with West Brom on December 27.
The Reds are four points clear at the top of the Premier League table with second-placed Leicester facing third-placed Manchester United on Boxing Day.
Jurgen Klopp and his players got into the festive spirit by wearing Santa hats at training
The Reds are four points clear at the top of the table and face West Brom on December 27