Dominik Szoboszlai offers potential injury return date & plan to cope with Mohamed Salah's absence

Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai has admitted he could be back in action in time for the club's Premier League clash with Bournemouth on 21 January.

Szoboszlai, who has impressed since joining from RB Leipzig during the summer, has missed both of Liverpool's cup games over the past week with a hamstring injury and is battling to return before the trip to the Vitality Stadium.

While that is Szoboszlai's goal, the 23-year-old moved to temper expectations by admitting he'd rather sit out more games than risk coming back too soon.

"I'm still running without a ball, but soon I will be able to carefully try training with a ball, I am getting better," he told Nemzeti Sport.

"[A return against Bournemouth] it's possible, but we don't want to rush anything. I'd rather miss one more match, if that's what it takes, so that I don't injure the previous strain and can play continuously."

Just where Szoboszlai will play when he returns, however, is up for debate. Liverpool are searching for a plan to cope without Egypt forward Mohamed Salah, who could miss the next month after departing for the Africa Cup of Nations.

Szoboszlai spent plenty of time out on the right wing during his days with Leipzig and admitted he would be happy to return there to fill the void left by Salah's absence.

"If the question is whether I will play on the wing, my answer is that it is not excluded either, and I play where I am needed," he continued. "We haven't talked yet about how my task might change in Mohamed Salah's absence, and for now the important thing is that I can play as soon as possible."

The midfielder also hit back at suggestions that Salah is "selfish" for a perceived refusal to pass him the ball during games, adding: "It's no coincidence that everyone sees him as one of the best players in the world. We need it badly. If he dribbles instead of passing or tries on his own, he does it to score goals and we can see that he takes his chances on a regular basis.

"In professional football, this is more important than anything else. Together with [Erling] Haaland, they are the most successful players in the Premier League at this moment as well with 14 goals."

READ THE LATEST LIVERPOOL NEWS, TRANSFER RUMOURS & GOSSIP