Emre Can joins Liverpool training camp in bid for Champions League final fitness

Can is expected to leave Anfield when his contract expires this summer

Mark Critchley
Northern Football Correspondent
Wednesday 16 May 2018 13:12 BST
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Emre Can has not played since suffering a back injury in March
Emre Can has not played since suffering a back injury in March (Getty)

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Emre Can has travelled with his Liverpool team-mates to a training camp in Marbella as he attempts to return to fitness before the Champions League final against Real Madrid.

The 24-year-old, who is out of contract at the end of the season, has not played for Jürgen Klopp’s side since suffering a back injury during the 5-0 victory over Watford in March.

Can missed subsequent international fixtures with Germany and was omitted from Joachim Low’s provisional 27-man World Cup squad, which was announced on Tuesday.

The midfielder remains an outside bet to play against Madrid in the Kiev final on 26 May but his fitness will be monitored during the squad’s time in Marbella before a decision is made on whether he can return to full training.

Can was absent from Liverpool’s end-of-season lap of honour following Sunday’s 4-0 win over Brighton and Hove Albion at Anfield and is widely expected to leave this summer when his contract expires.

Klopp meanwhile has described his side’s run to the final as a “crazy ride”, though insists that they deserve their place in the showpiece against Zinedine Zidane’s Madrid.

After the victory over Brighton secured a spot in next season’s Champions League, the Liverpool manager is finally able to appreciate his side’s achievement in reaching this year’s final.

“In our case, we’ve played in the Champions League without pressure most of the time,” Klopp told Uefa’s official website. “We entered the competition for the first time in a while and we quickly realised that we had a good chance.

“We aren’t anyone else. We are Liverpool, on the way to becoming a really good team, and performing at such a high level is very cool. To summarise, it’s been a crazy ride. But, after all, we’ve earned our place here.”

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