Jürgen Klopp has insisted that the returning quartet of Philippe Coutinho, Divock Origi, Martin Skrtel and Daniel Sturridge will be like new signings for Liverpool, after confirming they are set to return to training later this week.
The German's injury crisis is slowly starting to ease and with Origi and Skrtel having not featured for the Reds since December - they are set to step up their recoveries by returning to full first-team training at Melwood.
Coutinho, meanwhile, has been out with a hamstring injury sustained on January 5, and should join Sturridge, who hasn't played since December 6 but finally seems set to begin building towards full fitness after a troubling hamstring problem.
The Reds boss, speaking prior to their trip to Leicester City on Tuesday night at his pre-match press conference, explained that the four are "closer" and "close to returning to training."
Klopp hopeful of calling upon quartet
Klopp, who has only just been able to call upon Dejan Lovren, having to trust Kolo Touré and Mamadou Sakho as his centre-back partnership in the Premier League, revealed that Skrtel needs "two or three days' more time."
With Origi having undergone knee surgery after originally picking up a hamstring problem on Boxing Day and Coutinho having missed a succession of big games with a similar issue, Klopp said that the two, plus Sturridge "should return to training" this week.
He explained that the England striker, who had his own mini pre-season as he looks to return to the first-team for a more significant spell than in recent months, should be back on Wednesday and said that "the plan" is for the "the other two" to come back on Thursday.
He added that Skrtel should be back "at the weekend" and joked, having only strengthened his squad with the loan signing of Steven Caulker earlier in the month, "these are our transfers" and called them "four new players" for the club, hailing their returns as "good for us, of course."
But Klopp had no updates to issue on what he called "the really long-term injuries" in Joe Gomez and Danny Ings, declaring that "nothing has changed" with their situations.
Reds facing busy February despite returning players
The Reds face another busy month, after playing nine games in January, starting with Tuesday's trip to top-of-the-table Leicester. Sunderland at home await after that, before they are forced to visit Upton Park to take on West Ham in an FA Cup fourth-round replay after Saturday's 0-0 Anfield draw.
Following that, the Reds face lowly Aston Villa away from home before the two legs of their Europa League Last 32 clash with Augsburg - which could be split by an away game at Blackburn Rovers in the cup, if they can beat the Hammers.
They had been set to end the month with the second Merseyside Derby of the season, hosting Everton, but will instead take on Manchester City in the Capital One Cup final to see out February.
Having not made any signings, with interest, and a £24.5 million bid for Brazilian forward Alex Teixeira at Alex Teixeira amounting to nothing more, Klopp will be desperate to another damaging bout of injuries as he targets his first piece of silverware, a top-four finish and success in Europe.