Jurgen Klopp has confirmed Trent Alexander-Arnold has been ruled out of international duty after suffering a calf injury during Liverpool’s 1-1 draw with Manchester City on Sunday.
Alexander-Arnold once again started at right-back for the Premier League champions at the Etihad Stadium yesterday afternoon but pulled-up holding his calf midway through the second half.
The 22-year-old was given treatment on the pitch by Liverpool’s medical team but couldn’t continue so was eventually replaced in the 63rd minute with James Milner coming on to take over duties in defence.
Speaking after the draw, Klopp provided an update to reporters and confirmed that Alexander-Arnold will have a scan on Monday [today] to determine the full extent of the injury.
However, the Liverpool boss said the full-back is certain to miss England’s triple-header during the upcoming international break so Alexander-Arnold has been ruled out of the games against the Republic of Ireland, Belgium and Iceland.
Klopp told Liverpoolfc.com:
“Trent will be out for England, that is clear. What he has, we don’t know, but he cannot play for England. He will not be the last and not the only one who Gareth [Southgate] will miss for this international break.
“He will have a scan tomorrow [Monday] and then we will see.”
Liverpool will be sweating over the results of the scan as Alexander-Arnold is a key player for the Merseysiders so Klopp will be praying the attack-minded full-back won’t be ruled out for too long.
The Reds have already seen Virgil van Dijk sidelined with a serious knee injury that required surgery while Fabinho and Thiago Alcantara are also on the treatment table so the last thing they need is another important player being ruled out for a lengthy period of time.
It remains to be seen how long Alexander-Arnold will be out for but he must be considered a serious doubt for Liverpool’s Premier League clash with Leicester City after the international break while the Champions League tie with Atalanta on the 25th may also come too soon.
Milner is the most likely player to fill-in during Alexander-Arnold’s absence although youngster Neco Williams is another potential option for Klopp.
