The Reds boss would like to prevent his players from travelling if the club are not satisfied with national protocols
Jurgen Klopp is fearful that coronavirus could run through his Liverpool squad when his players return from international duty.
Liverpool face Manchester City in a blockbuster Premier League clash on Sunday, after which a chunk of his squad will depart to link up with their respective international teams.
While admitting no one is safe with coronavirus infections high in the UK at present, Klopp – who said that the title battle is not a two-horse race – feels Liverpool have procedures in place to limit risk.
However, he does not know what protocols are in place with the international teams and would be in favour of being allowed to keep his players from leaving if the club were not satisfied with the arrangements.
“Yes I am concerned,” Klopp said, according to the Mirror. “But I am concerned anyway at the moment with all these things.
“For us it feels safer when we are all together here at the training ground.
“We have had some cases, not many but some – though not for a while which is good – but it can happen because of the time we are living in.
“But the problem when they go on international duty is we have no power.
“We tried to find out what all the protocols are with all the different FAs but it’s up to those individual FAs to answer or not.
“They don’t have to – and FIFA so far is not really involved in that.
“It would be a massive help that if you don’t get a reply from an FA, for example, then you don’t send the player. And then I’m certain you would get 100 per cent replies and you’d know that the protocols are all fine.
“But with some we don’t know and there is nothing we can really do.”
After the clash with City at the Etihad on Sunday, Klopp will see a host of his players disappear for around 12 days.
As well as the time away, Klopp is concerned about the fatigue factor. Netherlands international Georginio Wijnaldum, for example, could be involved in three games in the space of seven days as the Dutch have a friendly with Spain on November 11, followed by Nations League matches with Bosnia & Herzegovina and Poland on the 15th and the 18th of the month respectively.
“I am concerned not just about Covid but also that playing three games in nine days is massive,” Klopp said.
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