Lovren close to Liverpool return - Klopp

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp hopes knee injury victim Dejan Lovren will re-join first team sessions when they return from a training camp in La Manga.

Lovren has not featured in the Reds' last two matches, missing the 2-0 defeat to Hull City and the 2-0 victory over Tottenham Hotspur, and he was left out of the group that travelled to Spain during a gap in the fixture schedule.

Liverpool return from La Manga on Sunday and Klopp hopes both Lovren and midfielder Marko Grujic will then be fit enough to join up with the first team.

When asked why the pair didn't travel to Spain, Klopp told the club's official website: "That was the decision of the medical department.

"Of course we have here exactly the same possibilities in the medical department and we have fantastic people at home and they can take care of the players, which makes more sense.

"Hopefully, especially Dejan, [they] can come back to training after when we come back on Sunday, that would be great.

"Same for Marko Grujic, who is close but not close enough to make the sessions with us … so do your stuff and train [with the group] in the moment you can do it again. So that's all, there are no other reasons."