Trent Alexander-Arnold’s ruptured knee ligament has kept him out of the game, according to Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders.
WHAT HAPPENED?
In Sunday’s 2-0 FA Cup triumph over Arsenal, the England international hyperextended his knee, causing a small tear in the lateral ligament. After undergoing tests on his knee, Alexander-Arnold will now miss at least three weeks of activity.
PEP LIJNDERS’ QUOTES
Regarding Liverpool’s most recent setback, Lijnders stated: “To start with, some not-so-good news—Trent hyperextended his knee during the last game. He will therefore require time to heal from a little tear in his knee’s lateral ligament. After his scan, which will keep him out of commission for several weeks, we’ll see. After getting some sleep, he should be able to return to his previous state. Because he consistently produced for us from deep and offered the club a great degree of versatility, this player was decisive in every game. He will be greatly missed.
THE BIGGER PICTURE
.
In the midst of a sort of selection crisis—with star striker Mohamed Salah currently absent for Egypt at the 2023 AFCON—the departure of Alexander-Arnold causes Klopp further grief. Virgil Van Dijk, who missed the Arsenal match due to illness, will, nevertheless, give Liverpool a boost in the first leg of their Carabao Cup semi-final against Fulham.
“Virgil has returned,” Lijnders said. “He looked excellent again after hitting some runs on the field yesterday. He recovered well, therefore he will rejoin the team. He so benefited greatly from not having to go to London.”While Dominik Szoboszlai is also getting close to returning, Andy Robertson is still recovering from a dislocated shoulder and is scheduled to travel to Dubai for a customized recuperation session.”Let’s see, Dom is making good progress on the field; he is running. Not accessible tomorrow,” he stated.”Next is Robbo, who will see the surgeon for a checkup as he approaches the three-month milestone. He will travel to Dubai for a week to do appropriate volume training sessions, so it will be beneficial for him, if he completes that scan and we are able to see everything [so] that we can truly improve him. Subsequently, the three-month mark scan is displayed, allowing us to gauge his rate of return contact. Kostas (Tsimikas) is the same. Kostas is developing quite quickly and well. Thus, hopefully, Robbo and Kostas will both return to practice with the club at the end of this month.”Long-term absentees Thiago Alcantara (hip) and Stefan Bajcetic (calf) won’t be available until February. “By this month’s end, they won’t be prepared. Training with us is likely to continue throughout the upcoming month. But both are progressing and (with) no problems, Lijinders remarked.
Next What?After hosting Fulham on Wednesday, Liverpool will have a ten-day mini-break. They won’t play in the Premier League again until January 21 against Bournemouth. After the league match, on January 24, they will play the second leg of their League Cup semi-final; three days later, they will play in the FA Cup fourth round; and on January 31, they will play Chelsea in a thrilling match.