Oh, the trials and tribulations of a football manager, eh? Jürgen Klopp has only gone and confirmed that Liverpool’s main man Mohamed Salah is off to represent Egypt in the Africa Cup of Nations, and Wataru Endo’s trotting off to play for the Japan squad in the Asian Cup. It’s enough to make Klopp throw his hands up and shout, “Oi, what’s a manager to do?”

But hold onto your hats, Liverpool fans – the return of Diogo Jota from his injury is like a beautiful rainbow after a storm. With a goal in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Burnley, Jota’s back in action after a month out with a dodgy hamstring. Klopp even said his return is “super important” – and we couldn’t agree more.

In a pickle like this, where Liverpool will only have their “famous five” senior forwards together for one game, Klopp’s keeping his spirits high – and his sense of humour intact. “Losing your top goalscorer is a real kick in the teeth,” said Klopp. “But we’ve faced worse in the past when Sadio [Mané] and Mo left, and we somehow came through it.”

Klopp’s already got his eye on the Newcastle game after Salah’s departure and Endo’s impending farewell, although he’s crossing his fingers that Alexis Mac Allister sorts out his dodgy knee soon. Liverpool’s left-backs Kostas Tsimikas and Andy Robertson are also nursing upper body injuries, with Joe Gomez filling in the gap on the left side of defence.

Just as Klopp rightly pointed out, with the Africa Cup of Nations and Asian Cup kicking off in January, let’s hope we don’t have to keep banging on about Salah and Endo’s absence for too long. So, let’s wish the lads the best of luck in their international escapades and buckle up as Klopp juggles his team’s resources like a master magician.

There you have it – a little peek into Liverpool’s chaotic world, coping with missing stars and injury niggles. But with Klopp in charge, we reckon the Reds will keep on striding forward.