Liverpool have coped admirably without a cohort of regular starters over recent weeks.
Sunday’s epic battle against Manchester City was the latest in a big pile of evidence that this Reds team is made up of much more than the sum of its parts. Still without a clutch of key players, Liverpool battled to a point that could easily have been three.
One of those who would have loved to have been out there at Anfield – but couldn’t – was Trent Alexander-Arnold. The right-back had some fighting talk for City before the game but, still recovering from a knee injury, was unable to back that up out on the pitch.
According to The Daily Mail though, Alexander-Arnold might soon be strutting his stuff once again. They claim that the 25-year-old is hoping to return to play in Liverpool’s game against Brighton on March 31st.
Admittedly, it does sound like this could still be a bit of an outside shot. Alexander-Arnold’s potential participation in that game at Anfield is said to be a ‘best case scenario.’
Having suffered ligament damage, Trent is reportedly set to start rehab in ‘the next weeks.’ It’s claimed that how he responds to this will determine whether he is ready for Brighton.
Trent stepping up rehab
This is absolutely terrific news for Liverpool. Given the way the scheduling has panned out, Brighton is actually their next fixture in the Premier League.
With Thursday’s Europa League game against Sparta Prague almost a formality, Alexander-Arnold could miss just one more truly meaningful fixture for the Reds.
That it comes in an FA Cup quarter-final away at Old Trafford obviously isn’t ideal. But if the England international can step up his recovery and be fit for after the international break, it will be a major boost.
Liverpool have obviously coped pretty well without their regular right-back over the past month or so. Sunday was the biggest test Conor Bradley has faced so far, but he once again passed it comfortably.
As a result of Bradley’s brilliance, the Reds should not be in a position that Trent should be rushed back. That already happened once with this injury and every step possible should be taken to stop it from happening again.
Nevertheless, in a title race you need your best players available and ready to step up. And Alexander-Arnold really is one of Liverpool’s very best.
Premier League legend Jermain Defoe recently called the Scouser ‘world class’ and it’s hard to argue with that sentiment. Up until his injury Trent was having a superb season. Liverpool will be a better and more dangerous team with their No.66 back in it.
Thankfully, it sounds like all systems are go in order to make that happen. Alexander-Arnold should be back for the run-in and that can only be good news for Liverpool’s title chances.
