Following a seven week layoff following a hamstring injury, Alisson Becker has returned to team training this week and is expected to be fit to face Nottingham Forest when Liverpool return to Premier League
action on Saturday following the November international break.
The Brazilian star will only have a session or two under his belt by the time the game kicks off. Building up the fitness of a goalkeeper following an injury layoff is slightly less of an issue than for an outfield player, though, and there have been suggestions that if fit, Alisson will start.
That may come as a blow for number two Giorgi Mamardashvili, who has certainly shown his shot-stopping bona fides in Alisson’s absence but has yet to prove he can have the same prowess as a sweeper and with the ball at his feet as Liverpool’s number one between the sticks.
Given the importance to Liverpool’s buildup of having a goalkeeper who can play almost as a third centre half when in possession or charging out to collect balls played centrally over the top, though, if Alisson is ready for a competitive match he almost certainly improves their chances.
For Mamardashvili, the main concern when signed was that he remained a work in progress as a ball distributor, but longer term it’s clear how talented he is as a stopper and the hope will be he can develop the weaker side of his game as Alisson’s potential long-term successor.
