Premier League title challengers Liverpool have suffered a new injury blow, with Trent Alexander-Arnold out until mid-February with a torn knee ligament.
Alexander-Arnold, 25, underwent a scan to assess the full extent of the damage suffered while playing in Sunday’s FA Cup third-round win against Arsenal at the Emirates.
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But with manager Jurgen Klopp already without several first-team players due to injuries, and with Mohamed Salah and Wataru Endo absent for up to six weeks at the African Cup of Nations and Asian Cup respectively, Alexander-Arnold’s setback will be even more draining. the Liverpool team as they try to maintain their lead at the top of the Premier League and reach the Carabao Cup final.
Liverpool will face Fulham in the first leg of the semi-finals at Anfield on Wednesday.
“Trent hyperextended his knee during the last game,” Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders told Liverpool’s website. “He has a small tear in the lateral ligament in his knee and will need time to recover.
“He’s had a scan and he’ll be out for a few weeks, so we’ll see after that. “He’ll get a bit of rest and then hopefully he can get back to where he was.
“This guy was decisive in every game and was the one who consistently created for us from deep and gave the team a high level of flexibility. He will really be missed.”
Alexander-Arnold’s injury means Liverpool will be without their starting full-back with left-back Andy Robertson still sidelined as a result of shoulder surgery last October.
But Lijnders said the Scotland international is close to returning to action, as is substitute Kostas Tsimikas following his broken collarbone.
“Heist [Robertson]It’s almost at the three-month mark, so the surgeon will look at it,” Lijnders said. “And if you do that scan and we see everything [so] For us to really progress, he’s going to Dubai for a week to do proper bulking sessions, proper sessions, so that will be good for him.
“Then we see the three-month scan and then we can see how quickly he can come back into contact.
“The same goes for Kostas. Kostas is progressing very well, very quickly. So I hope that both Robbo and Kostas will return at the end of this month to train with the team.”
