Liverpool Struck Major Fitness Blow Ahead of Return to Premier League Action Against Leicester

Virgil van Dijk is in danger of missing Liverpool's return to action after a rare weekend off, missing training on Monday after picking up an unspecified

Virgil van Dijk is in danger of missing Liverpool's return to action after a rare weekend off, missing training on Monday after picking up an unspecified illness. 

The Dutchman has started all 23 of the Reds' Premier League games this season, sitting at the heart of the top flight's best defence for all bar 45 minutes of the current campaign. 

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However, the Mirror report that Van Dijk could miss Wednesday night's game against Leicester at Anfield after falling ill following the club's trip to Dubai last week, with Jurgen Klopp trying to take advantage of yet another early FA Cup exit with a short mid-season training camp in a significantly warmer climate than Merseyside in mid-January. 

The 27-year-old will be replaced in the starting lineup by Dejan Lovren if he is unavailable for the visit of Claude Puel's side, with the Croatian partnering Joel Matip as Joe Gomez continues his recovery from the broken leg he suffered late last year. 

Tuesday's training session could be make or break for Van Dijk's availability, although Klopp will be confident in his defensive lynchpin slotting straight into the starting XI if he makes a last-minute recovery on Wednesday. 

Van Dijk (illness) is yet to train since returning from the warm weather training camp in Dubai. However, there was better news regarding Fabinho and Dejan Lovren who are in contention to face Leicester. Alexander-Arnold (knee) could miss out while James Milner is suspended. #LFC

— Ben Dinnery (@BenDinnery) January 28, 2019

The Reds have been on the edge of a minor injury crisis at the back in recent weeks, with Gomez and Trent Alexander-Arnold both injured and a couple of other players picking up knocks. 

While most of those players are now back or close to it, Klopp admitted at the end of last week that Gomez still faces a tricky road back to availability, saying: "We have to wait, for sure, a couple of weeks. We will see, it is difficult to judge in the moment. 

"Obviously it was really unlucky in that situation. The injury is not like Trent or Gini where you know ‘that’s the only thing’. It could have been like that, but then more and more we found out it’s a more serious thing."