Thiago on the plane with Liverpool to Napoli

Spanish star Thiago Alcântara has travelled with the Liverpool team for their Champions League tie against Napoli on Wednesday as he steps up his comeback from the hamstring injury he suffered on August 6.

Thiago returned to training on Monday after about a month out with the problem he sustained during the 2-2 draw against Fulham.

It is unlikely that the 31-year-old will start against Luciano Spalletti’s Napoli, who are second in Serie A, but the Spain midfielder’s inclusion is a boost to the Liverpool manager, Jürgen Klopp.

However Fabio Carvalho, the scorer of Liverpool’s 98th-minute winner against Newcastle United on Wednesday, has been left out of the 21-man squad due to a dead leg that he picked up against Everton on Saturday.

Liverpool have missed Thiago’s ability to control the tempo of matches and have been exposed in midfield during an average start to their domestic campaign, collecting only nine points from a possible 18.

Thiago’s month-long absence coincided with injuries to fellow midfielders Naby Keita, Curtis Jones, Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Jordan Henderson, leaving Klopp short on midfield options.

Henderson suffered a hamstring injury in the 2-1 win over Newcastle United last Wednesday which resulted in the club signing on loan Arthur Melo from Juventus until the end of the season.

Though Thiago’s return is good news, Klopp will be aware that the midfielder is injury prone and should not be rushed back in to action.

Liverpool have never won in Napoli, losing both of their previous Champions League visits under Klopp in 2018 and 2019.

Napoli have injury concerns of their own. The striker Victor Osimhen suffered a muscle injury in the 2-1 victory over Lazio on Saturday, when the new signings Kim-Min Jae, the South Korean centre back who replaced the Chelsea-bound Kalidou Koulibaly, and the Georgia winger Khvicha Kvaratskhelia scored for Spalletti’s side.