Spalletti reveals fractured bone and says he wants shirts of two Liverpool stars

The Serie A giants host Liverpool in their Champions League group A opener on Wednesday night at the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona, with the coach nursing a broken collarbone.

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Spalletti, 63, underwent surgery on Sunday morning in Milan after an accidental fall when arriving at the club's training ground.

He has since returned on the eve of the European clash with Jurgen Klopp's Reds and revealed the incident in his pre-match press conference.

"I had an accident on Sunday morning when I was coming to Castel Volturno [Napoli's training ground] to speak with Salvatore Sirigu and Diego Demme," he said.

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"I suffered a broken collarbone.

"I told our doctors, it was lunch time. I was in pain, we went to the Pineta Grande clinic in Campania to do tests. On the X-rays we found a fracture in my collarbone.

"Dr. Alessandro Castagna, the head doctor of Traumatology at Humanitas in Milan made me available where they were very kind.

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"I checked and arrived in Milan at 4am and they were there waiting for me, at 11:30am they found me a space and operated.

"I left at 3:00pm, I was discharged yesterday at 7:00pm and through a friend I managed to return back to Castel Volturno. I just missed training yesterday.

"I also wanted to thank the mole at the training ground who leaked the news," he added.

Spalletti, though, is looking forward to a reuniuon with Alisson and Salah, having managed the duo at Roma.

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"It will be a great satisfaction to once again see Alisson and Mohamed Salah. I was fortunate enough to coach them both and I will be delighted to see them back in action," he said.

"When Alisson signed for Liverpool from Roma [in 2018], he was one of the most expensive goalkeepers of all time and despite that, he showed his worth.

"If you try to compare Alisson in terms of where he ranks in the goalkeeping stakes, he is almost the no.9 of goalkeepers in terms of stature, character and quality.

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"As for Mo Salah, once at a press conference after a 4-0 win over Palermo, I highlighted the fact that he sprinted back 60 yards to recover possession despite the fact we were winning 4-0.

"He is one of those players who can keep alive a ball that appears to be dead and buried.

"Alisson and Salah are two shirts that I'd like to add to my collection and I'll embrace them very warmly tomorrow night."

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