Liverpool are concerned about the fitness of skipper Jordan Henderson for Saturday’s fixture at Brighton.

Henderson has a calf issue and will need a fitness test on Friday to establish if he can make the trip south, having suffered the injury on the eve of Liverpool’s FA Cup defeat to Wolves.

With several injury issues emerging over the last few weeks, Klopp’s squad is being stretched more than at any time during this season.

The Liverpool manager will be without Dejan Lovren for the game due to the hamstring problem he picked up in the early stages of the 2-1 loss, while Joel Matip is not likely to have recovered from a broken collarbone in time.

Matip is making progress in his recovery and, like Lovren, could be back to face Crystal Palace next weekend. Joe Gomez is missing until February due to a leg fracture sustained at Burnley last month.

That means another midfielder, Fabinho, is likely to continue as a makeshift centre-back as Liverpool seek to preserve their four point lead at the top of the Premier League. Fabinho played the role at Wolves alongside 16-year-old Ki-Jana Hoever.

If Fabinho plays in defence, Liverpool can ill afford Henderson to be absent as it will limit midfield options. Intriguingly, Henderson was pencilled in to to play centre-back alongside Fabinho in the FA Cup tie prior to his injury. His late withdrawal meant Lovren – who was due to be rested with Virgil Van Dijk – had to play. Liverpool paid the price after just five minutes of the tie.

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James Milner, Naby Keita and Xherdan Shaqiri are available, but Adam Lallana will also need to come through Friday’s training session unscathed to be involved. Lallana was also meant to start at Wolves prior to his late withdrawal.

Henderson and Lallana will try to complete a full training session on Friday. Liverpool travel to Brighton on Friday night.

Despite the injury issues, Klopp has made no plans to move into the transfer market as he anticipates having a full squad by the end of the month.

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Liverpool’s only activity so far has involved outgoing loan deals and the £19 million sale of Dominic Solanke to Bournemouth.

Teenager Ben Woodburn, who has returned to Anfield after a disappointing loan spell at Sheffield United, will be allowed to move on again for the remainder of the season. Several championship clubs are showing interest in the young forward.