Trent Alexander-Arnold is working with an ongoing injury problem, with the Liverpool right-back playing through the pain as his minutes are managed.
With the fixture list starting to mount up, Arne Slot is beginning to contend with the injury problems that blighted Jurgen Klopp‘s reign.
As it stands, the head coach is without Alisson (hamstring), Diogo Jota (rib), Federico Chiesa (fitness), Harvey Elliott (foot) and Conor Bradley (rib).
But there are also issues that the club’s medical staff are working around, including a muscle injury for Alexander-Arnold.
The Athletic‘s James Pearce reports that it is a “minor issue” revealed in a scan after England’s 3-1 win over Finland on October 13 – a game that saw the defender score a stunning free-kick.
Alexander-Arnold has “played through the discomfort,” Pearce writes, and “intends to keep making himself available as it heals.”
This situation is not aided by the absence of Bradley, who would likely have started against either Chelsea or RB Leipzig were he available.
Liverpool’s No. 66 instead started both games, but was substituted in the 81st minute of the 2-1 win over Chelsea and then the 75th minute in the 1-0 victory at Leipzig.
Slot will continue to manage his workload, then, while the Dutchman praised Joe Gomez‘s application in training during his pre-Arsenal press conference on Friday.
Gomez has replaced Alexander-Arnold in both of Liverpool’s games after the international break and is likely to be in contention to start at right-back in the Carabao Cup clash with Brighton next week.
The hope remains that there are no further issues for the vice-captain, whose importance to the team has been reaffirmed this season.
