Arne Slot reacted to Trent Alexander-Arnold‘s exit announcement and Alexis Mac Allister won a prize, as Friday brought good news on two previously absent Liverpool players.
Today’s Main LFC Headline
After nearly three months out injured, Joe Gomez has returned to training ahead of the final three games of the season.
There were fears in February that hamstring surgery would prevent him from playing again this campaign, but he now looks set to play a small part in May’s action.
With a potential move away on the cards this summer, it would be brilliant to see Liverpool’s current longest-serving player out on the pitch again.
While Gomez’s participation is in the balance, we know Conor Bradley will start against Arsenal having missed out against Chelsea.
Arne Slot confirmed the 21-year-old’s inclusion, saying: “Conor is going to start because I think he needs playing time as well to get some games under his belt, to be better prepared for next season.”
Today’s Liverpool FC News
- Mac Allister has been named the Premier League‘s player of the month for April – it is the first time he has ever received the award
- Slot has said he is “disappointed” that Alexander-Arnold has chosen to leave, but he is positive about the future given he is “more used to” players leaving due to his experience at Feyenoord
- Al-Hilal remain “ready to make a concerted effort” to sign Darwin Nunez, reports the Liverpool Echo‘s Ian Doyle – they are a part of this summer’s Club World Cup so could want to sign him quickly
- Goal Brasil are claiming that Liverpool have ‘made contact’ with Monaco over a possible transfer for right-back Vanderson – the source isn’t the strongest but the move could make sense
More from This Is Anfield
Alexander-Arnold’s announcement of his decision to leave Liverpool has created an unwanted potential distraction for Slot who must decide how to handle the situation.
Joanna Durkin, Adam Beattie and TaintlessRed discussed how the No. 66 should be used in the season’s remaining matches.
“Trent’s remaining minutes need to be predicated purely on minimising headlines and prioritising whatever most benefits Bradley’s development.
“I’d love to crack 90 points again, but not at the expense of allowing any sideshow noise to detract from the bigger picture of what we’ve just achieved.”
Alexander-Arnold “shouldn’t play another minute,” but no “favours” for Real
Elsewhere in the football world today
- Xabi Alonso has announced he will leave Bayer Leverkusen at the end of the season.- he is expected to join Real Madrid in the summer, replacing Carlo Ancelotti
- Mikel Arteta has admitted Arsenal have “made a step backwards” in the Premier League this season, but also made some more bizarre comments about his team’s midweek Champions League performance
- The Premier League will have six teams – yes, six – in the Champions League next season due to Tottenham or Man United qualifying via the Europa League – though unusual, this is definitely too many from one country
Liverpool FC: On this day
Liverpool won the FA Cup on this day in 1992, lifting the trophy for the fifth time in their history after beating a second-tier Sunderland outfit.
Michael Thomas and Ian Rush were the scorers in a 2-0 win, the latter taking his FA Cup final goal tally to five in the process.
A bizarre fact is that the runners-up medals were mistakenly awarded to Liverpool, despite the Reds being the victors, so the players had to swap afterwards!
Fan Comments