He can´t play in his flip-flops! – Klopp on Mane fitness

Sadio Mane and Andy Robertson remain injury doubts for Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Burnley on Wednesday.

Manager Jurgen Klopp revealed the Senegal international has been limited to wearing flip-flops since sustaining an “awful” cut to his foot in the Merseyside derby.

Mane played the full match in Sunday’s 1-0 win over Everton at Anfield but subsequently required stitches on an injury he suffered 20 minutes from the final whistle.

Robertson, meanwhile, sustained a dead leg in the match and neither player has yet been passed fit for the trip to Turf Moor.

“Sadio and Robbo we need to have another look today,” Klopp told a news conference on Tuesday. “Sadio had an awful cut on his foot which needed to be stitched.

“He’s okay. He’s walking around now, but in flip-flops. We don’t play in flip-flops. Today he is not ready but we will see later. With Robbo it’s not that serious, like with Sadio, but we need to have a look.”

Klopp also discussed the form of striker Roberto Firmino, who has managed only one goal in his last nine Premier League appearances – a run that stretches back to September 22.

“It’s not that he plays his best football in each second of the game but he’s an important player and that’s how it is in a player’s career,” Klopp commented. 

“You have these moments where you fly and you can’t really explain it and you have others where you have to work a bit harder to come again and fly. That’s it. That’s exactly for him the case. Nothing to worry about.

“It’s just a normal football season and we all have to go through these little holes and everything will be fine again, especially with him because his attitude is absolutely phenomenal. That makes it easier for him. He would never stop and that’s good. Everything will be fine.”

Jürgen Klopp joins us from Melwood as we preview tomorrow’s game @BurnleyOfficial.

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Liverpool were left to rely on a 96th-minute Divock Origi goal to settle the derby and Klopp says the Belgium international’s contribution sets an example for his fringe players.

“Divock and Dom Solanke are of course not in a fantastic situation in the squad – if you train day in, day out and in the end you are not picked in the squad it’s not easy,” he added.

“But it’s a wonderful example of making yourself ready for the moment. Everybody has the opportunity to shine. It was such an important thing, so nice.

“It’s football as well. Sometimes things change in a second in the right direction, sometimes in the wrong direction.

“I don’t know exactly how long he played, 10 minutes maybe, but three really good situations in that short time. It showed that he was really ready and he wanted it and he deserved it. A really nice story.”