Liverpool get Henderson fitness boost ahead of Premier League opener vs Leeds

Jordan Henderson is back in training with Liverpool as the Premier League champions gear up to start defending their crown.

The Reds captain failed to feature for even a minute of his side’s pre-season campaign, missing the two-match tour to Austria, the Community Shield against Arsenal at Wembley and Saturday’s Anfield friendly against Blackpool in which the hosts went 2-0 down before winning 7-2.

Henderson last featured in the 3-1 win at Brighton in July in which he scored a fine goal but later departed with a knee injury.

He missed the final four matches of the Premier League season, but was able to take centre stage as he lifted Liverpool’s first league title in 30 years in a spectacular ceremony on the Kop following a 5-3 win over Chelsea.

Jurgen Klopp will now monitor his captain over the coming days ahead of the visit of Marcelo Bielsa’s newly-promoted side.

If he is fit then the Reds manager is unlikely to have any qualms about putting him straight back into the side given the notable improvement they often show when he is available.

Klopp is likely to have a selection dilemma in midfield after Naby Keita and Takumi Minamino impressed in pre-season, with James Milner also no doubt desperate to start against his boyhood club.

Speaking after the Blackpool game, the German told the Liverpool website: “We have to make sure we now get ready for the first game against Leeds because that will be a really tough one.

“Leeds have a specific style of play, man-marking over the whole pitch and makes it proper intense.

“We have to be ready for that, but we have a few days. Hopefully, all the other boys now stay healthy in the international games, then they come back and we have three days to work together on that.”

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