Liverpool Dealt Fresh Injury Blow With Key Man Ruled Out Of Crunch Man Utd Game

Liverpool’s injury problems at the back have worsened as Trent Alexander-Arnold has been ruled out of Sunday’s huge showdown with Manchester United, according to the Liverpool Echo.

Alexander-Arnold started at right-back once again during Liverpool’s 1-0 victory over Napoli on Tuesday night which secured their progress to the knockout stages of the Champions League.

However, the game came at a cost as the England international was forced off during the closing stages at Anfield after suffering a foot injury and had to be replaced by Dejan Lovren for the final minutes.

Jurgen Klopp admitted to reporters after the match that the injury was painful but insisted he’d had to wait until Alexander-Arnold was assessed by medical staff before the full extent of the problem was known.

It seems the results are in and it’s bad news as the Liverpool Echo claims Alexander-Arnold has been ruled out of Sunday’s huge Premier League clash with Manchester United at Anfield and is facing a race against time to recover for the festive period.

The news comes after the 20-year-old was seen wearing a protective boot during a promotional event on Thursday night so it looks like Klopp has been dealt another blow ahead of the United game.

It was confirmed yesterday that Joel Matip has been ruled out for six weeks after breaking his collarbone against Napoli on Tuesday night while Joe Gomez is also still out with a fractured leg so Liverpool have problems in defence on Sunday.

Alexander Arnold has been Klopp’s first choice right-back for much of the season with the youngster making 18 appearances so far while Gomez has filled-in whenever Alexander-Arnold has been given a breather.

With Nathaniel Clyne also on the sidelines, Liverpool will be without their three right-backs against United so Klopp will be forced to deploy James Milner or Fabinho in defence this weekend.

Milner could be the favourite as he performed well in that role against Bournemouth last weekend but Fabinho has plenty of experience having played right-back during his time at Monaco.

We’ll have to wait and see which option Klopp goes for as Liverpool look to maintain their unbeaten run in the league and cement their position above Man City with a win over United at Anfield.