"Gets his shirt dirty as well" – Liverpool assistant coach Pep Lijnders reserves special praise for 'proper leader' at Chelsea ahead of EFL Cup final

Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders has singled out Conor Gallagher as one of Chelsea's most important stars ahead of their 2023-24 EFL Cup final on Sunday (February 25).

Gallagher, who has been at the Blues since 2008, has cemented himself as a vital starter for his boyhood team this campaign. The 24-year-old midfielder has started 30 of his 33 appearances across all competitions, scoring thrice and registering six assists in the process.

During a pre-game press conference, Lijnders named three Chelsea stars who are likely to influence Sunday's EFL Cup final at Wembley. He elaborated (h/t Metro):

"A good final only starts by analysing their strengths and where to start? Enzo Fernandez is the one where it all starts. They have some instability so how can you expect them to show up straight away? Pochettino has already found his starting XI and Cole Palmer has been one of the finds of the season, taking them from a rival."

Hailing Gallagher's leadership skills and fine work-ethic, Lijnders said:

"Conor Gallagher is a proper leader, a No.10 but gets his shirt dirty as well. If you let them play between the lines with their technique it will be really hard, they have speed up front. When they play out of our counter-press, we will need both boxes to defend."

Gallagher, whose contract is set to run out in June 2025, started both of Chelsea's Premier League matches against Liverpool this season. While he played the whole 1-1 draw as a number six last August, he started last month's 4-1 loss at Anfield as an attacking midfielder.

Pep Lijnders provides positive injury update on Liverpool pair ahead of Chelsea contest

When queried to offer an update on Liverpool's injured players, Pep Lijnders stated that Mohamed Salah and Darwin Nunez could be fit to face Chelsea soon. He said (h/t Liverpoolfc.com):

"We come in a crazy schedule again, so we play every three days. It's important for us to use each minute, use each day to really look how the players are. This is for Mo, [Dominik Szoboszlai] and Darwin. Two training sessions to go, let's see how they are and then we can make a decision in the last minute."

Both Salah and Nunez missed the Reds' latest 4-1 Premier League win over Luton Town at Anfield due to suspected hamstring and muscle injuries respectively. While the 31-year-old has contributed 19 goals and 10 assists in 28 games, the latter has registered 13 goals and 11 assists in 37 matches across competitions this season.

Meanwhile, Lijnders also revealed that Alisson Becker and Trent Alexander-Arnold will return from their respective injury issues after next month's international break. He also claimed that Curtis Jones and Diogo Jota are also likely to return in March from their knee injuries.