Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is unsure if Darwin Nunez will be fit to face Brighton & Hove Albion in Saturday's Premier League clash at the Amex Stadium.
The striker has recently been missing from training after picking up a minor unspecified problem, and he was not seen with his teammates in Thursday's session.
Nunez has been Klopp's first-choice striker during the absence of Roberto Firmino, who is dealing with a calf injury, and he has come up with 10 goals and three assists from 23 games in his debut season so far.
The 23-year-old has been the target of criticism for some wasteful finishing in a Liverpool jersey, but he was expected to lead the line for the Reds at the Amex Stadium as he aims to build on his tally of five Premier League goals.
However, speaking at his pre-game press conference, Klopp could not guarantee that Nunez would be available for Saturday's trip, telling reporters: "If he cannot train today then, yes, that would rule him out.
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"We are waiting for the latest information; it is not a major one, but it still kept him out of training. We have to wait for that."
As well as Nunez, Liverpool are also guaranteed to be without Firmino, who sustained his calf injury prior to the EFL Cup defeat to Manchester City last month and is yet to return to team training.
Klopp admitted that the Brazilian, whose contract expires in the summer, suffered a recent setback in his recovery, saying: "In the first moment, it was like a little injury where the estimate [was] 10 days, two weeks.
"He did the normal rehab stuff, all the experts told us what we can do - and then Bobby felt again something and that kept him out then for longer. I don't know exactly when he will be back, but he's not close to team training, no."
Should Nunez and Firmino both miss the trip to Brighton, Cody Gakpo could make his Premier League debut through the middle, leaving Fabio Carvalho, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Harvey Elliott to battle for a start on the left flank.
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Liverpool's injury list also includes Diogo Jota (calf), Luis Diaz (knee) and Arthur (thigh), all of whom are still several weeks away from being able to return to full training, while Virgil van Dijk is set for a month out with his hamstring issue.
On a brighter note, Klopp is expecting James Milner to be back in contention after shaking off a hamstring complaint, while 18-year-old midfielder Stefan Bajcetic has overcome a knock to the hip.
"Millie, yesterday, did big parts of training and will be back in normal training today. Bobby not," Klopp added. "Stefan will be back in training today. He was out, he got a knock on the hip bone, which is quite uncomfortable, but he will back as well and that's it pretty much."
Liverpool have been knocked down to seventh in the Premier League table following Fulham's 2-1 win over Chelsea on Thursday, and they sit seven points behind Manchester United in the final Champions League spot.
Having lost their opening game of 2023 to Brentford, Liverpool could equal an unwanted 30-year-old if they suffer defeat to the Seagulls this weekend.
Ben Knapton
