Dejan Lovren makes Liverpool injury return as Manchester City clash looms

Liverpool look set to be boosted by the return of Dejan Lovren for the forthcoming Premier League trip to Manchester City. The centre-back missed matches against Hull City, Tottenham Hotspur and Leicester City thanks to a knee problem sustained in the 1-1 draw with Chelsea on transfer deadline day.

While Lovren returned ahead of the visit of Arsenal on 4 March, he remained an unused substitute during that morale-boosting victory, before being omitted from Jurgen Klopp's matchday squad once again for Sunday's (12 March) narrow 2-1 defeat of Burnley due to a back issue suffered in training.

"He got a dead leg in his back when we were working on set pieces," Klopp confirmed. "The muscle is now very sore."

Fears that Lovren may be set for another extended period of absence appear to be unfounded, however, with the injury-plagued Croatia international making his first appearance for six weeks on Monday night (13 March) in front of a watchful Klopp.

Starting for the U23s against Chelsea, he came through 75 minutes of action unharmed before being replaced by Nathaniel Phillips. Mike Garrity's side chalked up their third consecutive victory at Tranmere Rovers' Prenton Park thanks to by from Harry Wilson and Trent Alexander-Arnold.

While Lovren is set to make his first-team comeback against Manchester City, Jordan Henderson will remain sidelined with a lingering foot injury. Klopp confirmed on Monday that his captain was unlikely to play again until after the international break and had no hope of recovering in time to feature for England this month as former interim boss Gareth Southgate begins his permanent Three Lions reign with a friendly in Germany and a 2018 World Cup qualifier against Lithuania at Wembley.

"No chance," he said. The [international] break, these two weeks, hopefully – it's what we hope – can bring him back, but there's no game possible in this time. That's how it is. He cannot train, he for sure cannot play against City and it makes sense that he is doing the rehab. Hopefully he can run in the second week of the international break and then we have to see."