Liverpool defender and playmaker Trent Alexander-Arnold will not play in this month’s Carabao Cup final due to a knee injury.
The right back suffered a recurrence of the problem against Burnley last weekend, and a series of scans this week have revealed he will require a period of recovery.
The timescale is unspecified but the Wembley meeting against Chelsea at the end of February will come too soon. He will be fighting to be fit for a key Premier League game at Nottingham Forest in early March, and Liverpool’s vice-captain is optimistic he will be ready for the Anfield visit of Manchester City a week later – a potentially defining fixture in this season’s title race.
Liverpool also meet Southampton in the FA Cup before then, as Klopp will be eager to ensure his full-back has some game time before thrusting him straight back into a fixture as intense as that of City.
Alexander-Arnold aggravated the knee injury because of his determination to play through the pain barrier, making his comeback too soon as he returned as a substitute against Chelsea on January 31 before starting against Arsenal and Burnley.
The news represents a major blow to Jurgen Klopp’s ambitions of maintaining the club’s quadruple bid by claiming the first silverware of the season.
Alexander-Arnold has been one of the most influential Premier League players in this campaign – arguably Liverpool’s player of the season – with his hybrid role critical to the team’s revival to be challenging for four trophies.
Alexander-Arnold’s adapted hybrid role in the team has coincided with Liverpool’s return to top form – Getty Images/John Powell
Liverpool have effectively rebuilt their side around his passing talent, Alexander-Arnold consistently providing the most forward passes in the final third despite his deep starting position.
Klopp’s side has lost only two of their last 34 Premier League games since their home-grown star adopted his current role – one of which was the highly contentious defeat to Tottenham Hotspur earlier this season.
And despite enduring criticism of his defending, he is part of a back four which has conceded just 23 goals in 24 Premier League games. Only Arsenal (22) have conceded fewer goals than Liverpool in 2023-24.
In his absence, Klopp can at least turn to Joe Gomez, while Northern Ireland youngster Conor Bradley returned to training on Tuesday after a period of compassionate leave.
Both are in contention to face Brentford on Saturday.
Liverpool are also buoyed by the return of Mohamed Salah, who has resumed training after the hamstring issue suffered at the African Cup of Nations. Salah is expected to be part of the squad travelling to London.
Mohamed Salah is back in training for Liverpool following injury – Getty Images/Andrew Powell
But Dominik Szoboszlai is another key player who is a serious doubt for the cup final as he undergoes treatment for a hamstring issue. Klopp revealed last Friday that he is unsure the Hungarian will recover in time for Wembley.
“If you ask him, he plays the final definitely,” said Klopp last week.
“But I don’t know. He will see. He is running outside. Some players I see running outside and I think, ‘Ok, they are back and then it can still take a while’. We have to see.”
On Alexander-Arnold, Klopp had hoped the problem was minor, and there will be at least some relief that there is no serious ligament damage requiring surgery. However, it is bad enough and the timing could not be worse with a cup final on the immediate horizon.
However, it is anticipated Alexander-Arnold will have fully recovered in time to be involved in England’s internationals at the end of March when Gareth Southgate’s side play Brazil and Belgium.
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