Liverpool midfielder Thiago Alcantara has made his long-awaited return to full training as he enters the final stages of his recovery from a hip injury.
The 31-year-old sustained the problem prior to February's Merseyside derby win over Everton and has since sat out the Reds' last 10 games in all competitions.
Liverpool have won just four of their 10 games in which Thiago has been unavailable, as the ex-Bayern Munich man's fitness troubles continue to plague him.
Thiago was not ready to return for Tuesday's draw with Chelsea, although Jurgen Klopp affirmed before the game that the midfielder was getting closer to a return.
Liverpool return to Anfield comforts to host league leaders Arsenal on Sunday, and the Reds could welcome Thiago back into the squad for the visit of the Gunners after the Spaniard was put through his paces on the training pitches on Thursday.
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Thiago appeared to be in good spirits on the field at Kirkby, as he aims to make his 25th appearance of a disrupted season during the visit of Arsenal, and he has just one assist to his name in the current campaign too.
Klopp will be expected to give an update on the midfielder's condition in Friday's pre-game press conference, but he will seemingly be fine to tackle the Gunners in what would be his first appearance since February 4.
Since joining from Bayern Munich in 2020, the Spain international has posted three goals and six assists in 93 games for the Reds, while missing a further 60 matches through injury or illness.
Alongside Thiago, Luis Diaz continued to increase his workload with his teammates on Thursday, and there is a slim chance that the Colombia attacker could face the Gunners too.
Diaz has not been seen on the pitch since October's loss to Arsenal at the Emirates Stadium due to a knee injury and subsequent setback, but Klopp believes that the Reds' trip to Leeds United on April 17 is a more realistic date for his comeback.
Good afternoon, @Thiago6 😁 pic.twitter.com/YKZSCmZwKG
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) April 6, 2023
Elsewhere, Virgil van Dijk was back among the group after missing Tuesday's draw with Chelsea through illness, while Naby Keita was seen running individually with a fitness coach as he battles a muscular problem.
However, all of Mohamed Salah, Diogo Jota, Arthur and Joe Gomez were absent from team training, although it is unclear if any member of the quartet is nursing anything serious.
Jota and Gomez both played the full 90 at Stamford Bridge, while Salah was brought on for the final 25 minutes of that goalless stalemate with his former club, and Arthur was an unused substitute yet again.
Since recovering from thigh surgery, Juventus loanee Arthur has been an unused substitute in three successive Premier League games, and the Brazilian is still waiting for his first taste of English top-flight football.
Stefan Bajcetic (adductor) and Calvin Ramsay (knee) are both out for the rest of the campaign for Liverpool, who sit eighth in the Premier League table ahead of the visit of Arsenal.
Ben Knapton
