Sadio Mane to miss start of Liverpool pre-season schedule as knee injury recovery continues

Sadio Mane's recovery from a knee injury has suffered a setback after Liverpool confirmed the Senegal international will be unavailable for the start of the club's pre-season schedule.

The 25-year-old missed the last two months of the season after undergoing knee surgery and though he is still expected to return in time for the start of the campaign his progress has been stifled.

The Reds began pre-season training on Wednesday (5 July) but Mane worked away from the main group and is not expected begin contact work for another 10 days. That schedule ensures the ex-Southampton forward will miss the games against Tranmere Rovers on 12 July and then Wigan Athletic on 14 July.

He will continue to be assessed by the club's medical team in the hope he can feature in the Barclays Asia Trophy in Hong Kong. Jurgen Klopp's side face Crystal Palace on 19 July before taking on either West Bromwich Albion or Leicester City.

Danny Ings' own recovery from a knee injury has continued this week as he attempts to return from a second cruciate ligament problem. The England international has been out since October and though he was absent from the main group, Ings is working with physiotherapist Matt Konopinski in an effort to prove his fitness ahead of pre-season.

One player Liverpool will have available this summer is captain Jordan Henderson, who missed the last three months of last season with a foot problem. The England midfielder played a full part in training at the club's Melwood training base and is on course to be fit for the start of the season which begins against Watford on Saturday 12 August at Vicarage Road where Klopp's men won 1-0 last season courtesy of Emre Can's wonder goal.

"I've probably been waiting longer than everybody else," Liverpool's captain told the club's official website. "They have been enjoying the break but I've been dying to get back into it because I missed the end of last season. That was disappointing but I'm very positive and dying to get back into the swing of things this pre-season.

"I'm looking forward to the hard work. I'm just glad to be back on the pitch, running and playing football, that's the main thing. Hopefully I can stay fit. We've got a couple of hard weeks ahead of us to get ready for the start of the season.

"I've been waiting for a long time to get back on the first day. I was excited to get out there this morning. Now we're in the swing of things, I'm looking forward to training and getting as fit as I can, ready for the new season."