After suffering an ankle injury against Borussia Dortmund in the 2nd leg of Europa League quarter-finals, Emre Can be all but ruled out for the whole of this season.
However, if the news coming out from the Liverpool based media outlets are to be believed, the German 22-year-old is in contention to make a shock return against Villarreal on Thursday.
Can was substituted during the 2nd Leg win over Borussia Dortmund last month. After leaving the stadium on crutches, Can underwent a scan on his bruised ankle.
According to that scan, the German was ruled out for at least 4-6 weeks due to injury. Thus, Jurgen Klopp was forced to look forward to the remainder of this season without Emre Can in his first team plans.
However, as it emerged on Monday night, the German was part of the Liverpool contingent that trained at the Liverpool training ground. Thus, his chances of making a comeback in a make-or-break game against Villarreal have automatically increased.
In his absence, the likes of James Milner, Lucas Leiva, and Joe Allen have bravely guarded the Liverpool midfield. While the latter was used mostly from the bench, the former duo of Milner and Lucas were all but guaranteed a spot in the Liverpool starting XI every week.
However, now with the proposed return of Emre Can to full fitness, it seems likely that Milner would be shifted further up the pitch to accommodate for the incoming German.
Yet, the German faces a fight against time if he wants to be in Jurgen Klopp’s plans for Thursday.
As epitomized by his handling of Sturridge this season, Jurgen Klopp is not an advocate of throwing the players straight into the starting XI after a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Thus, if Can wants to earn his spot in the Liverpool squad that will play Villarreal on Thursday, he needs to be on his toes to prove his fitness to the German Manager.
