Jurgen Klopp admits that it will be "difficult" for Sadio Mane to be ready for the start of the season

Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp admits that it will be difficult for key player Sadio Mane to be ready for the start of the new season.

Mane will be in action for Senegal in the Africa Cup of Nations finals Friday as his Reds teammates are back in pre-season training.

The striker should have a chance to rest and rejuvenate before returning to his teammates, but he faces a reversal of just over a fortnight before the Community Shield clash against Manchester City on August 4th.

And Klopp admitted that the match may well come too soon for Mane, who wants to make a late decision on when he will be ready for the first team with his opening match in the Premier League against Norwich on August 9, which approaching fast.

Klopp told Liverpoolfc.com: "With Sadio, we have to take care of him after the final – how he feels and things like that.

"It will be really difficult. 16 days before playing City, his season is over. We will have to make a decision, but we have not made it yet. "

Klopp also confirmed that Mohamed Salah, Roberto Firmino and Alisson Becker would join the team to start pre-season at their Evian camp at the end of the month.

The trio enjoyed an extra break after participating in major international tournaments. Firmino and Alisson won the Copa America, while Brazil and Salah participated in the Africa Cup of Nations for Egypt.

They missed the Reds' trip to the United States as part of their pre-season tour, but will be back with their teammates in southeastern France later in July.

Klopp added: "Mo and the Brazilians will come to Evian.

"That means we have almost a week left before City [in the Community Shield], a fort 12 days to Norwich and then 15 or 16 days to Chelsea [in the Super Cup].

"We must see. The good thing is that when you have a short break, you do not lose much.

"They needed three weeks and we told them [to take it]but they are training again now.

"I would have preferred that if they had come back after a week, but that would make no sense! So, [they have] these three weeks and then we will have them here for the pre-season. "