Liverpool fans and Jurgen Klopp may be breathing a sigh of relief upon hearing of news which has emerged on Monday evening regarding Trent Alexander-Arnold.
The 24-year-old was forced off during the second half of Sunday’s 3-0 win over Aston Villa with a hamstring problem, although it’s believed to be a ‘minor’ issue which’ll sideline him for two weeks, as per The Athletic.
It was announced this evening (via England Football) that the Reds defender has now withdrawn from the England squad for their upcoming matches against Ukraine and Scotland, with Manchester City’s Jack Grealish also pulling out for injury reasons.
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Liverpool supporters may have been fearing the worst when Trent slumped to the ground 70 minutes into yesterday’s match and had to go off, although the subsequent reports on his injury present something of a best-case scenario.
By withdrawing from the England squad, the risk of him aggravating the hamstring problem is lessened significantly, and it would’ve been especially galling if he’d played in the friendly against Scotland and suffered a setback in that game.
Also, The Athletic‘s report of a two-week layoff indicates that, while he might miss the trip to Wolves on 16 September, he should be fine to feature thereafter. Obviously we want him to be recovered for the visit to Molineux, but it’s not the end of the world if he’s to miss one fixture in the circumstances.
Had Trent’s injury come in that match, he may well have missed four games given how hectic Liverpool’s schedule will become later this month, so even though such body blows are never welcome, the timing could’ve been a whole lot worse in this instance.
Ideally, the layoff during the international break will give the 24-year-old enough time to recover so that he’ll be fit and firing again once the club season shifts back into action in mid-September.
#Ep89 of The Empire of the Kop Podcast: EOTK Insider with Neil Jones🎙️