Trent Alexander-Arnold will miss Liverpool’s semi-final first leg clash with Fulham after picking up a knee injury in the victory over Arsenal on Sunday.
Liverpool’s right-back captained the side to a third round FA Cup victory at Arsenal and was seen clutching at his leg during the contest, and later limping in the tunnel.
He since undergone tests to assess the severity of the injury and has subsequently been ruled out of the all-important clash on Wednesday and beyond, with Pep Lijnders confirming he will be sidelined for “probably three weeks.”
“Trent hyperextended his knee,” Lijnders explained.
“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 [later added, “probably three weeks”], so let’s see after that.
“He will get some rest and then hopefully he can come back to where he was.
“Because 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.”
It is another untimely blow for Liverpool, though the saving grace is that the Reds have a ‘mini’ winter break following the first leg of the League Cup semi-final – with their next match on January 21.
Conor Bradley is the obvious player to step up in his absence, with the youngster injected with plenty of confidence after his cameo at Arsenal on the weekend.
It means that Trent will miss a minimum of four games; both ties against Fulham, a league game against Bournemouth, and the FA Cup fourth round.
In more positive news, Lijnders confirmed that Virgil van Dijk is back available for Wednesday. The Reds’ captain missed Sunday’s match due to illness but was back running on Monday.
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