Jurgen Klopp has confirmed Liverpool will be without forward Mohamed Salah for Saturday’s meeting with Nottingham Forest.

Salah is nursing a hamstring injury which has kept him out of his side’s last three matches, including the Carabao Cup final victory over Chelsea and FA Cup fifth-round triumph over Southampton.

Saturday’s trip to Nottingham Forest will come too soon for Salah but Klopp told Friday’s press conference he expects the 31-year-old back soon.

“I don’t think Mo is too far off but he will not be on the pitch tomorrow and from there we have to go,” he said. “It’s touch and go.

“Mo is a bit longer, but I think next week at some point is possible. He is on the way back, definitely, but not there yet.”

Klopp offered some positive updates on a handful of Liverpool’s injured stars but left fans sweating with the revelation that another illness has been spreading around the Anfield dressing room.

“Darwin [Nunez] and Dom [Szoboszlai] trained yesterday with the team, we’ll see how they react,” Klopp explained. “Wataru [Endo] and Robbo [Andy Robertson] didn’t but there’s a plan for them to join in today.

“A little problem we didn’t know about was Macca [Alexis Mac Allister] was ill for one-and-a-half days, and Robbo had the same thing. Hopefully it hasn’t spread. I haven’t heard anything but I didn’t ask because I don’t want to know.”

Liverpool remain one point ahead of Manchester City at the top of the Premier League table and will hope to extend that lead before Pep Guardiola’s side host Manchester United on Sunday. Fellow title hopefuls Arsenal travel to Sheffield United on Monday.