Gravenberch added: “It was partly fitness related. The season is long, so it was a precaution. I’m feeling good and I have the coach’s confidence.”
It was previously confirmed that Alisson would be out for several weeks due to a hamstring issue, while summer signing Giovanni Leoni suffered a severe knee injury last month. He is expected to be sidelined for the rest of the season.
There are also concerns about Waturu Endo’s fitness after he was a last-minute withdrawal from the Japan squad due to an undisclosed injury.
Japan boss Moriyasu Hajime explained: “I was thinking about whether to call him up until the very last minute. Asking him to come from Europe again would be a burden for him, so I thought that the current number would be enough.”
Liverpool will head into the United match as favourites to win despite losing their last three matches in all competitions.
They were beaten by Crystal Palace in dramatic fashion before losing to Galatasaray in the Champions League and shipping another late winner against Chelsea before the international break.