Sadio Mane is on course to resume full training next week, but will not play any part in Liverpool’s two upcoming friendlies, the club have confirmed.
Mane missed the end of last season as he underwent knee surgery in April after sustaining an injury in the Merseyside derby.
Liverpool say the winger has been based at Melwood, the club’s training ground, for the majority of this summer working with the medical staff as part of his rehabilitation.
The club expect the 25-year-old to join his teammates in full training by the end of next week, which means he is set to play no part in Liverpool’s local friendlies with Tranmere Rovers and Wigan Athletic on July 12 and July 14 respectively.
Mane is likely to feature on Liverpool’s trip to Hong Kong for the Premier League Asia Trophy before Jurgen Klopp’s side travel to Germany for a training camp and three warm-up matches.
The club conclude their preseason schedule in Dublin on Aug. 5 as they take on Athletic Bilbao at the Aviva Stadium.
Mane was one of Liverpool’s best players last season, proving to be a success following his £30 million move from Southampton in the summer of 2016.
Meanwhile, Danny Ings is looking to put two years of frustration behind him and finally kick-start his Liverpool career.
The 24-year-old has played just 11 times since his move from Burnley because of two separate long-term knee injuries.
Ings managed just two appearances last season before his campaign was prematurely ended in October but he has worked hard over the summer with individual sessions at the club’s Melwood complex ahead of the rest of the squad returning for preseason training on Wednesday.
“If you dwell on things too long, you’ll never make it back. You need to obviously be hurt for a while but then you need to get your head down, focus and crack on,” he told Liverpool’s official website. “That’s always been my mentality. There wasn’t really any other choice.
“For now it’s just to get as healthy as I can, get as strong as I can and get fit, and to integrate with the lads as soon as possible and just build from there.
“Timescale-wise I’m unsure but I’m feeling closer and closer every day. I’m not setting any big targets. I’m trying to accomplish small things at a time.”
Information from the Press Association was used in this report.
Glenn is ESPN FC’s Liverpool correspondent. You can follow him on Twitter: @GlennPrice94.