Tuesday 6 March 2018 08:30, UK
Jurgen Klopp has assured midfielder Adam Lallana he is still a key player for Liverpool.
Lallana, 29, has not started a match for Liverpool since the FA Cup third-round win over Everton in early January.
The England international missed the first four months of the campaign after suffering two setbacks to a thigh problem and has only managed 186 minutes of Premier League action after his comeback.
Lallana could be in line for his first European appearance since the 2016 Europa League final when Liverpool take on Porto in the second-leg of their Champions League last-16 tie, holding a 5-0 lead from the first leg in Portugal.
Speaking ahead of the game, Klopp reassured Lallana of his importance, saying: "Adam, absolutely was an integral part of the team and with the competition we have for Adam it is still usually not a problem for him, because he is important
to us.
"But he needed only time. Life is to learn from your mistakes and we all have to learn.
"We made this mistake - he looked fit. Maybe two little setbacks, not the biggest setbacks, but in and out, in and out, and that makes so sense so now we have to build with him. He is coming close.
"But of course he now has now no rhythm, which is another thing. We still need him, we will use him still.
"He is cool, he sees the quality of the team is good, but he is always one of the guys who push the level in training on to the next level, because he is always so intense in all the things he is doing.
"So the time will come for him 100 per cent. Whether it is tomorrow, I don't know."
