Liverpool have been hit by yet another significant injury blow on Tuesday afternoon.
Journalist David Lynch shared the news on X (formerly Twitter) that Trent Alexander-Arnold faces several weeks out of action due to a knee injury.
The reporter posted: “Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to be sidelined for a few weeks with a tear in the lateral ligament of his knee.”
Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to be sidelined for a few weeks with a tear in the lateral ligament of his knee.
— David Lynch (@dmlynchlfc) January 9, 2024
As per Liverpool Echo, the Reds’ assistant manager Pep Lijnders elaborated on Trent’s injury during this afternoon’s press conference ahead of the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Fulham.
The Dutchman outlined: “Trent hyperextended his knee during the last game, so he has a little tear in the lateral ligament of his knee and he will need time to recover. He had a scan and he will be out for a few weeks, so let’s see after that.
“He will get some rest and then hopefully he can come back to where he was. This guy was decisive in all the games and was the one who created constantly for us from deep and gave the team a high level of flexibility. We will really miss him.”
This news comes as a hammer blow for Jurgen Klopp and Liverpool, with the Reds are already having to cope without their two senior left-backs in Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas.
Joe Gomez has been deputising in that role recently, just as he did on the right flank when Trent was injured in September, but Klopp shifting him to that side now would merely be a case of robbing Peter to pay Paul.
It’ll leave the manager with no option but to put his trust in an inexperienced youngster such as Conor Bradley, albeit that the Northern Ireland international put in a commendable shift towards the end of the FA Cup win over Arsenal on Sunday.
Whether this latest injury setback will prompt Liverpool to enter the transfer market for a full-back this month remains to be seen, but even if they were to bring in multiple options on either flank, it’s most unlikely that any of them could replicate what the 25-year-old brings to this team.
We can only hope that Trent’s recovery goes as smoothly as possible and that he’ll be back playing sooner rather than later.
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