Liverpool beat Aston Villa 2-0 on Saturday night to extend their lead over Manchester City to five points atop the Premier League standings.
Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah struck a goal in either half to give the Reds a deserved win. There was a concern in the team’s dressing room, however, as Trent Alexander-Arnold suffered an injury.
The 26-year-old was subbed off less than half an hour into the game and replaced by Conor Bradley following an injury. Arne Slot has provided an update on Alexander-Arnold’s condition and expects the defender to miss the international break.
Slot said it’s ‘always serious’ when a player has to come off so early in a game, but he’s hoping for good news regarding the severity of Alexander-Arnold’s injury.
Liverpool’s official website quoted the Dutchman as saying,
“It’s difficult to say how serious it is, but it’s always serious if a player goes out in the first half. Not because I didn’t like him, but because he asked for it himself. He didn’t ask for it because he was tired, he asked for it because he felt something. That’s first of all not a good sign, but it is always difficult so close after the game to tell you exactly what it is. Let’s wait and see. I would be surprised if we will see him playing for the England national team this week, but hopefully he can.”
What next for Liverpool and TAA?
Arne Slot’s verdict on Trent Alexander-Arnold is undoubtedly concerning, especially because the English international does not have a capable back-up. Conor Bradley is likely to step in for the foreseeable future but is significantly less experienced as compared to the team’s primary right back.
And though it would take further tests to conclude the extent of the damage Alexander-Arnold has suffered, it would not be a surprise if he were to miss close to a month’s action. Having said that, the injury also comes at the wrong time for Liverpool given that they face Real Madrid and Manchester City later on in November.
Meanwhile, now is the perfect occasion for Conor Bradley to step up for two specific reasons. The first is to obviously show that he can be a reliable option behind Trent Alexander-Arnold but secondly, and more importantly to indicate to Arne Slot that the right back position can remain in good hands even if Alexander-Arnold leaves the club.
It will be interesting to see what the medical staff has to say about Alexander-Arnold’s injury as well as how Slot will cope with a very important player’s absence over the upcoming weeks.
