Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has explained leaving Fabinho out of his starting XI for their win over Tottenham.

Klopp opted to start the 25-year-old on the bench against their Premier League rivals, a decision that raised a few eyebrows.

He revealed: “Fab couldn't train one day a little bit, not long enough to really know how he reacts after the international break.

“Not playing (for Brazil) but flying a lot and training a lot. If you are not playing then you train more than the other players. Ask Ali (Alisson Becker) or Bobby (Firmino) how much Fab trained. It was clear that he would come on.

“On the other side, Henderson trained outstandingly well, Milner as well. Gini (Wijnaldum) was not involved as much in training but I've known him longer and I expected him to do well.

“This was the situation. It's also about who is used to who in the positioning and the opponent. It wasn't 100% clear what system Tottenham would play before the game.

“We chose a formation that we thought would enable us to adapt pretty quick to it. We didn't but that wasn't only because of the midfield."