Firmino and Keita injury update as Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp makes Mo Salah Ballon d’Or snub admission

Jurgen Klopp has been speaking to the media ahead of Liverpool’s Merseyside derby showdown with Everton at Goodison Park on Wednesday (20.15).

Here are the key points from the Reds boss’ pre-match press conference.

Salah snub

Mo Salah finished a surprising seventh in last night’s Ballon d’Or. Lionel Messi clinched a seventh award, with Robert Lewandowski clinching second spot

Klopp felt Salah deserved to finish higher in the vote and Lewandowski, who he coached at Borussia Dortmund, should have won.

He said: “I was surprised to honest but it’s not in my hands. I saw the vote.

“It’s the Ballon d’Or, the journalists vote so don’t ask me, it’s your fault. You are the journalists, if you think he should be higher, you have to convince your colleagues.

“You can always give it to Lionel Messi for the career he has and footballer he is but if you don’t give it to Robert Lewandowski this time, it’s quite difficult to get it at all.

“But Mo definitely should have been higher up but that’s it.”

Injury update

Things are looking better for Liverpool in terms of injuries.

Naby Keita (hamstring) and Joe Gomez (calf) are close to full training but won’t be available against Everton.

Roberto Firmino (hamstring) and Curtis Jones (eye) are further away, though.

Klopp said: “Everyone came through (Southampton) well.

“All the boys are getting closer. Joe is not too far away from team training, Naby is not too far away from team training.

“Bobby needs another week to do more football stuff. With Curtis, it’s not in our hands and is doing what he has to do.

“He could go and run a marathon but we have to wait until the doctors give us the green light.”

Benitez clash

Rafa Benitez made plenty of headlines when he became Everton boss in the summer.

The Spaniard, of course, spent six years at Anfield between 2004-2011 and famously engineered Liverpool to Champions League glory in 2005.

However, Klopp is not focused on that and wants cool heads against the Toffees.

“We all know there are some special things around derby but, first and foremost, it’s a football game,” said the Liverpool manager.

“We all know what our supporters want and try to fulfil their dreams and wishes. Derby games are more in focus but it’s a football game we need to treat it as a normal football game.

“Previous form matters, especially when it’s good. We play good football and if we do that, we are difficult to play. That’s the plan we have.

“I’ve said what I said. From now on, I will prepare as a normal football game.

“We have three points at stake and we try to get them.

“We will try to win so it’s nothing to do with a special situation about that coach or whatever.

“We will play football and you need a cool head. We are still an emotional use but we have to use the emotion in the right way.

“That is the right plan.”

Van Dijk’s return to Goodison

Goodison Park was the scene where Virgil van Dijk’s season came to an end last term.

He was on the end of a rash challenge from Jordan Pickford and suffered an ACL problem that ruled him out for more than nine months.

However, Klopp’s confident van Dijk won’t be scarred going back to Everton.

He added: “We are human beings so it’s probably difficult to ignore that but it was a situation that should not have happened and doesn’t happen often in football.

“It can happen and it’s unlucky but that’s not important anymore.

“Virgil is very experienced and has to be completely free he could have in his mind because of one issue.

“Slightly different because it’s the same place but, again, it’s the football game.

“Virgil came back brilliant. Everyone needs times to get back and he had a full pre-season.

“Since then, we have had to learn and give him a little break. We need to have in our mind to think about that.”