Liverpool injury news and expected return dates ahead of the Premier League clash at Brentford on Saturday, February 17.
Jurgen Klopp will provide clarity on the severity of Trent Alexander-Arnold’s recurring knee injury when he speaks to the media at the AXA Training Centre on Friday morning.
The Liverpool boss will address the media in his usual Premier League pre-match press conference, with this particular briefing taking on significant importance after the news that Alexander-Arnold would miss the League Cup final later this month through injury.
The 25-year-old initially sustained a knee injury during last month’s FA Cup win at Arsenal before making a return to action against Norwich City on January 28. However, Alexander-Arnold was substituted at half-time in Saturday’s 3-1 victory over Burnley and is set to be sidelined until early March.
Liverpool’s No.66 is the latest casualty in Klopp’s ranks with Thiago Alcantara and Dominik Szoboszlai both suffering relapses in their rehabilitation and too unlikely to feature against Chelsea at Wembley later this month.
Before that date at Wembley, though, is a Premier League clash against Brentford on Saturday afternoon, with Liverpool having the chance to increase their lead over Manchester City to nine points ahead of their evening kick-off against Chelsea.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Speaking after Saturday’s win over Burnley, Klopp has confirmed Alexander-Arnold has suffered a recurrence of his knee injury, saying: “His knee again? Yes, it felt like that. He got it stuck in the grass and we will see. We have [to send for] assessment.
“Same area in the knee. Nothing really bad, but he felt it again and we have to see, we have to assess it. Trent said it’s fine, but it’s not fine [because] he feels it so we had to be careful and took him off.”
However, the Liverpool boss is expected to provide a more definitive update on Friday morning.
Mohamed Salah
Mohamed Salah hasn’t featured for Liverpool since the start of January due to international commitments at the Africa Cup of Nations and later a hamstring issue.
The Egyptian was withdrawn in his country’s 2-2 draw with Ghana on January 18 and has been back on Merseyside undergoing his rehabilitation ever since. On Tuesday, Salah was involved in Liverpool training for the first time in nearly six weeks, indicating that he will likely be involved in Saturday’s game against Brentford.
Expected return date: February 17
Dominik Szoboszlai
Szoboszlai initially suffered a hamstring in the New Year’s Day victory over Newcastle United before making a return to the starting XI for the thrashing of Chelsea at the end of January.
But just hours before the Arsenal game on February 4, it became apparent that Szoboszlai had suffered a recurrence of that muscle injury and was set for a spell on the sidelines.
At this stage, it is unclear whether he will be fit for the League Cup final against Chelsea on February 25.
Providing an update last week, Klopp said: “He had long-term problems at Salzburg but pretty much since then he could play. He came to Leipzig with a problem but could pretty much play all the time after that. He is not the most patient person. We don’t know (about the Carabao Cup final with Chelsea on February 25).
“If you ask him he plays the final definitely but I don’t know. He will see. He is running outside. Some players I see running outside and I think okay they are back and then it can still take a while. We have to see.”
Expected return date: Unknown
Thiago Alcantara
Thiago Alcantara came on as a late substitute in the 3-1 defeat to Arsenal earlier this month, his first appearance since last April. However, the desperately unfortunate midfielder is now nursing a new hamstring injury.
“Thiago is not cool,” said Klopp in the days afterwards. “Everything looked absolutely fantastic in training, they showed quite a lot of moments on LFC TV in training and it looks outstanding.
“We thought to take him (to Arsenal) and the opportunity to play a few minutes and then it’s a muscle issue. We don’t know the extent yet, we have to wait a little bit but it’s not cool. It’s really not good news for him, for us or everybody.”
Expected return date: Unknown
Stefan Bajcetic
Stefan Bajcetic has endured a frustrating period in his fledgling Anfield career after several injury problems. He enjoyed a strong debut campaign last season but saw it end prematurely after suffering a stress response in his adductor in March.
Bajcetic returned in September with outings in the Carabao Cup and Europa League but his involvement against LASK Linz proved to be his last after suffering a calf issue. It remains unclear when he will return to full training,.
Expected return date: Unknown
Joel Matip
Joel Matip is recovering from surgery after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury. The 32-year-old, who is the final months of his contract at Liverpool, is likely to miss the rest of the season. The centre-back was left stricken in the 70th minute of the dramatic Premier League 4-3 win over Fulham in December after an off-the-ball incident.
Expected return date: Unknown
Ben Doak.
Ben Doak is out long-term with a serious knee injury sustained playing for the under-21s. Assistant manager Pep Lijnders said of Doak’s condition: “That’s not a good one. He tore his lateral meniscus, which needs surgery.
“That one will take (a) longer time. He is young, he is a fit guy, he is a positive guy so for sure he will come back stronger, and we need him to come back with the same fire he has with the ball, how he was. We will wait for him.”
Expected return date: Unknown
