Liverpool Hopeful of Early Alisson Return in Time to Face West Ham

Good news at Liverpool? It'll never catch on.

It's been all doom and gloom for the Premier League champions ever since Alisson's shoulder gave way at the end of September. The Aston Villa disaster preceded a cataclysmic injury to Virgil van Dijk, which seems to have tipped the title odds in favour of Manchester CIty (or Everton, depending on who you believe).

Tuesday night's win over Ajax went some way towards stemming the flow of misery, however, and now the Liverpool Echo have given us something more to smile about. Brazilian keeper Alisson, previously thought to be out until the end of November, is now expected back to face West Ham on Halloween.

Adrian has been a better stand-in than many would have you believe, as evidenced by an impressive showing in Amsterdam, but still represents a stark drop in quality from the Reds' number one. Alisson is one of the best keepers in the business, and having him back in the side sooner rather than later will restore much of the defensive assurance that Jordan Pickford took out at the knee last weekend.

Adrian will stand in for Saturday's clash with Sheffield United and for Tuesday's visit of Mitjylland in the Champions League, but all being well, it should be the last we see of the Spaniard until whenever the FA Cup rolls around.

Giving an update on Alisson ahead of the Ajax clash, Jurgen Klopp told reporters: "Ali looks very good. We have to see; catching balls and stuff like this is all possible. But we cannot rush it and will not rush it.

“Actually, it’s a common thing every day when I see Ali. I say: ‘How was it today?’ He always with a big smile tells me of the slight improvements. Today I didn’t see him, so I can’t wait to ask for his progress!”