Liverpool face Real Madrid in the Champions League in November but Trent Alexander-Arnold could now miss out
Trent Alexander-Arnold is to undergo a scan on his latest injury setback, according to reports, as Xabi Alonso expressed hope it may not be as bad as first feared. The former Liverpool full-back was forced off just five minutes into his Champions League debut for new club Real Madrid.
The La Liga outfit were hosting Marseille on Tuesday night when Alexander-Arnold felt his left hamstring in the early stages. It forced Alonso into an early decision to remove his summer signing from the action and bring on veteran Dani Carvajal in his place.
Liverpool host Real at Anfield in the fourth round of league phase fixtures, scheduled for Tuesday, November 4. This new injury scare therefore puts the 26-year-old’s return to his boyhood club in doubt.
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According to Fabrizio Romano, Los Blancos are sending Alexander-Arnold for a scan on the hamstring issue to determine the full extent.
This comes after Alonso told reporters at full-time: “We’ll wait a bit; maybe it’s not as bad as it seems.”
However, the Real manager then hinted that the Englishman will be immediately ruled out of the club’s weekend La Liga fixture against Espanyol.
“We have to be creative in finding solutions,” he added. “[Raul] Asencio came in well. [Eduardo] Camavinga and Jude [Bellingham] are back and will be able to play on Saturday.”
So, it is a situation Liverpool will have to take a note of in advance of their next Champions League showdown with the 15-time competition winners in six weeks’ time.
Real are staring directly a nightmare if they are to be without Alexander-Arnold until after the Liverpool match. That is because Carvajal was shown a straight red card after replacing him against Marseille.
The 33-year-old was dismissed following a 69th-minute VAR review for head-butting the French side’s goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli during an altercation. UEFA’s disciplinary committee could now find reason to suspend the full-back for an extended period, up to and including the match at Anfield in November.
Alonso would therefore have to keep up his ‘creative’ thinking to find a solution of stopping the Reds along that flank.
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