Wijnaldum admits Evian training camp ‘really important’ after early absences

Georginio Wijnaldum says Liverpool’s training camp in Evian this week will be crucial in his efforts to build his fitness, with injuries having curtailed his pre-season thus far.

Wijnaldum missed the first two friendlies against Chester and Tranmere because of his late return to Melwood following his post-season international commitments and was injured for the subsequent matches against Bury and Blackburn.

A virus ruled him out of the first leg of the United States tour (the 3-1 defeat to Borussia Dortmund) and while he did manage to get 45 minutes under his belt next time out against Manchester City, a muscle issue then sidelined him for the clash with Manchester United last weekend.

As a result, the Dutchman is playing catch-up and may not be ready for the season-opener against West Ham in less than two weeks’ time.

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MARIBOR, SLOVENIA – Tuesday, October 17, 2017: Liverpool’s Georginio Wijnaldum during the UEFA Champions League Group E match between NK Maribor and Liverpool at the Stadion Ljudski vrt. (Pic by David Rawcliffe/Propaganda)

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Wijnaldum admits it was ‘tough’ to have his minutes limited by a series of niggles but is now fully focused on making good progress this week as Klopp increases the demands on his players ahead of the club’s final friendlies.

“It was really frustrating for me [in the US] because every time I thought I was coming back, a little something else came up,” he said. “In pre-season you want to put a base down for the season, so it was tough for me with some small problems, but I hope I can stay fit now.

“You have to look forward instead of back and I need to work on my fitness. The guys have had a couple of weeks where they trained a lot and played. I haven’t played or trained as much as them, so this camp is really important for me.”

The 27-year-old will have to raise his game if he is to start to regularly this season, with competition for places in the midfield dramatically increased by the arrival of Fabinho and Naby Keita.

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Source: anfieldhq.com