Jurgen Klopp Talks Trent Alexander-Arnold's Back Injury Ahead of Tottenham Match
March 26, 2019
Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp is unsure if defender Trent Alexander-Arnold will recover from a back injury in time to face Tottenham Hotspur in the Premier League on Sunday.
The 20-year-old is yet to return to full training with the Reds, and Klopp said the problem is still an issue, according to James Carroll at the club's official website.
"Trent still feels his back. We are not 100 per cent sure, so we have to watch him. Trent wants to [be] 100 per cent, but we have to see. It is a strange one, it’s not an obvious injury that you can say something is broke or whatever, it’s just a bit annoying actually that he cannot feel really free.
"For him, it was really important that he could do the rehab and not being in normal training all the time. Hopefully [between] tomorrow and Thursday he can be back in full training and then it should be fine."
The 20-year-old was forced to withdraw from the England squad for their 2020 European Championship qualifiers against Czech Republic and Montenegro in the past week with the injury:
Klopp will want to field his strongest XI for the visit of Spurs as the Reds return to domestic action after the international break. Liverpool top the table by two points from Manchester City but have played a game more than the defending champions.
Mauricio Pochettino's side should provide a stiff test of Liverpool's title credentials, although Spurs did hit a bad patch of Premier League form before the international break and have gone four league games without a win. Tottenham are third in the table, one point ahead of Arsenal.
Alexander-Arnold has become a key player at right-back. He has helped Liverpool become the meanest defence in the top flight with just 18 goals conceded in 31 games.
The England international also loves to get forward and supply quality delivery into the penalty area from out wide:
Klopp does have other options if Alexander-Arnold has not recovered in time for Sunday's game. The most likely alternative appears to be James Milner, although Klopp has also used Jordan Henderson at right-back this season.