Philippe Coutinho out but Jurgen Klopp bidding to keep Liverpool rising

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits he was too optimistic about Philippe Coutinho’s injury and he may not yet be ready to return.

Having just got key players Daniel Sturridge and Jordan Henderson back from long absences, the Reds boss is now waiting for the return of his Brazilian playmaker, who has missed the last three matches with a hamstring problem.

Coutinho was expected to make his comeback against Newcastle but his recovery is taking longer than expected.

“I like optimism, really, but with Phil, we were too optimistic,” said the German.

“Sometimes it happens like this and there is nothing to criticise — he has tried everything he can.

“He trained nearly normally but he doesn’t feel comfortable and we have to take care of this because the muscle is a dangerous thing when you always feel it a bit.

“I can wait every day, it is no problem if someone tells me ’Now he is available’ and next time he will play with us, no problem.

“Yesterday no-one gave me this sign so today we have to wait again.”

The absence of Coutinho is offset by the returns of Sturridge, who scored twice in Wednesday’s 6-1 demolition of Southampton in the Capital One Cup, and Henderson.

Both are in line to start at Newcastle tomorrow — Henderson could be promoted from the bench as midfielder Emre Can serves a one-match ban — as Liverpool’s squad edges closer to full strength.

Klopp accepts Sturridge’s comeback has to be managed after the length of his time out with thigh, calf, hip and knee problems.

“I think it is completely normal with a player with along injury history,” he added.

“He did well in the last game and the plan before the game was to play about 55-60 minutes so that is what we did. Of course he felt each muscle after the game, that is normal as it was intensive, but in this moment he is available for the weekend and we’ll see.”

Henderson has made two short substitute appearances — his first since the second game of the season, after a heel problem was followed by a broken foot.

“Hendo made a big step in the last few weeks and that is the best news,” said Klopp.

Henderson’s return is ideally timed with Can suspended after accumulating his fifth booking at Southampton.

The German international had flourished in midfield under Klopp’s guidance, having arguably his best game in his two seasons at the club.

“Emre, like the team is in a good way,” said Klopp.

“He’s 21, he doesn’t look like it. Often in his game he doesn’t look 21 he sometimes looks like 80 — it’s the truth and he knows it.

“We are often in talks about it, his problem is we speak the same language so I speak more with him. Emre is a really good player. I like working with him but like every young player, he has to learn.

“What I heard is even Brendan (Rodgers) thought his best position was in midfield (he regularly played in defence in his first season in England by Klopp’s predecessor).

“With his size, speed and strength in one versus one situations, of course he can play centre-half if needed. If we lost another centre-half he would be the next option as he can play there. But for a young player it is more important to play then to play in the right position.

“In the German national team, sometimes he plays full-back. It’s not his best position but he can play there.

“It’s been good for us that he can play in midfield and improve his game.”

Meanwhile Steve McClaren has admitted Newcastle’s fragile confidence could be obliterated if they allow Liverpool to slip into top gear tomorrow.

The Magpies are in disarray once again after successive defeats in comprehensive fashion by Leicester and Crystal Palace sent them hurtling back into the Premier League drop zone, and McClaren is only too aware another drubbing by the Reds could shatter whatever confidence his players have managed to regain in the last week.

He said: “It is a game which we know — and the players know — we’d better be at our best in terms of attitude, work-rate and all the nitty-gritty things to keep this Liverpool team at bay, because they are the form team in the Premier League. “We have conceded 30 goals in 14 game and that’s not good enough. We came away from Bournemouth and that was two clean sheets and we thought we might have turned a corner.

“But in the next two, we conceded eight. The frustrating thing about everything is the inconsistency. Consistency, when you haven’t got that, is as fragile as confidence.”

Liverpool have lost on three of their last six visits to Tyneside, but their two win in that spell have been handsome, a 5-1 drubbing in December 2008 and a 6-0 blitz in April 2013.