Liverpool will welcome Mohamed Salah back to their squad for the midweek Premier League clash against Leicester.

Salah, the Reds’ undoubted talisman offensively, has not played for the club since finding the net in a 2-2 draw against Chelsea on 2 January because of his involvement in the African Cup of Nations with Egypt.

Despite this lengthy absence, he remains Liverpool’s leading scorer for the season on 23 goals, including 16 in the Premier League.

Of course, returning to the club is one thing, but starting against Leicester after an intense month both physically and emotionally is a different matter altogether. It would be little surprise to see the attacker left on the bench, particularly as Diogo Jota and Takumi Minamino were both on target in the FA Cup victory over Cardiff.

Furthermore, January addition Luis Diaz has been added to Liverpool’s ranks while Harvey Elliott has made a welcome return from a long-term ankle injury.

One man who certainly will not be involved in this encounter is Sadio Mane, whose penalty allowed Senegal to claim their first African title. He has been given an extended stay of leave as a result.

The news on the selection front is broadly positive for Liverpool, with Diaz having apparently suffered nothing untoward following a knock to his knee against Cardiff.

Meanwhile, Divock Origi is back after knee trouble. Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and Joe Gomez are set to be available after testing positive for Covid-19, which saw them sit out at the weekend.

There are no reports of other problems.

Liverpool do not tend to rotate heavily, but with a packed January schedule, they may elect to make some tweaks in their starting XI, while substitutes will surely be used to allow certain stars to preserve themselves before a series of important dates, including a Champions League meeting with Inter.

Possible Liverpool starting XI against Leicester