Why Thiago Alcantara is absent for Liverpool as seven players missing from squad

Thiago Alcantara is absent for Liverpool’s clash against Everton in the Merseyside derby because of a hip injury.

Reds boss Jurgen Klopp admitted the midfielder had an issue, having missed training last week.

Reports have suggested Thiago could be sidelined for up to four weeks.

The former Bayern Munich man is one of seven first-team players absent from the squad. Ibrahima Konate remains unavailable with a hamstring problem.

Fabio Carvalho was another who appeared not to train earlier this week and recently missed two games. Arthur Melo is back in full training, having managed just 13 minutes of action since arriving on loan from Juventus in the summer. However, the game seemingly comes too soon for the midfielder.

Curtis Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain are also not on the bench despite training. Diogo Jota, Roberto Firmino (both calf) and Virgil van Dijk (hamstring) have returned to the squad after their respective injuries.

Meanwhile, Fabinho is back in the starting line-up after missing the 3-0 loss at Wolves because of illness.

Summer signing Calvin Ramsay does not feature in the squad yet again.