Despite recovering quickly from a hamstring injury suffered against Aston Villa a few weeks ago, Alexander-Arnold is not expected to feature in Liverpool’s Carabao Cup match against Leicester City this evening.
The 24-year-old has become an influential figure in Jurgen Klopp’s side since making his debut in the 2-1 win over Tottenham in the fourth round of the Carabao Cup in 2016.
He has appeared in four matches for the Merseysiders and provided one assist this season as they sit second in the Premier League table with 16 points, just two points behind leaders Manchester City.
Speaking at his pre-match press conference ahead of the Leicester clash, Lijnders revealed Alexander-Arnold is close to returning to action after training with his teammates on Monday. He could feature against Spurs this weekend.
“Trent trained with us yesterday but it was just rondos and controlling the ball by counter-attacking, but he was excellent,” Lijnders is quoted as saying by Liverpoolfc.com.
“Of course you see it immediately. He is training with the team, I don’t know if he is ready or not, we will see today.
Another increased injury case
Liverpool fans have suffered another blow after Thiago Alcantara returned to fitness after several weeks out of action.
The 32-year-old, who is yet to feature this season, last played for the Red Devils in a 2-1 win over West Ham in April. He made 28 appearances and recorded one assist in all competitions last season.
Lijnders confirmed that Thiago is in “good form” and is progressing well in his recovery:
Lijnders added: “He’s doing well, the healing process is going well, so that’s the most important thing right now.”
Alcantara has been hampered by injuries since arriving at Anfield from Bayern Munich in 2020. He helped Liverpool qualify for the Champions League in his first season after several key players suffered long-term injuries, including including captain Virgil van Dijk.
The Spain international helped the Red Devils achieve a historic quadruple in the 2021/22 season as Klopp’s side came close to winning the Premier League and Champions League, but lost to Manchester City and Real respectively. Madrid. Liverpool eventually won the Carabao Cup and Emirates FA Cup – both beating Chelsea in the final on penalties.
