Trent Alexander-Arnold is set to have a scan on his latest injury blow with Xabi Alonso hopeful that it might not be as serious as initially thought. The former Liverpool defender was substituted after just five minutes of his Champions League debut for new club Real Madrid. The La Liga giants were facing Marseille on Tuesday evening when Alexander-Arnold felt his left hamstring in the opening stages.
This forced Alonso into an early substitution, withdrawing his summer acquisition and introducing veteran Dani Carvajal as his replacement. Liverpool are due to welcome Real to Anfield in the fourth round of league phase matches, set for Tuesday, November 4.
This fresh injury concern therefore casts doubt over the 26 year old’s homecoming to his childhood club. Los Blancos are now arranging for Alexander-Arnold to undergo a scan on the hamstring problem to assess the complete damage.
This follows Alonso’s comments to journalists after the match: “We’ll wait a bit. Maybe it’s not as bad as it seems.”
Nevertheless, the Real boss then suggested that the England international would be immediately ruled out of the club’s weekend La Liga encounter against Espanyol. “We have to be creative in finding solutions,” he continued.
“[Raul] Asencio came in well. [Eduardo] Camavinga and Jude [Bellingham] are back and will be able to play on Saturday.”
It represents a development Liverpool must monitor ahead of their upcoming Champions League clash with the 15-time European Cup winners in six weeks’ time. Real Madrid could be facing a daunting prospect if they are to be without Alexander-Arnold until after the Liverpool game.
This is due to Dani Carvajal receiving a straight red card in the match against Marseille, where he came on as a substitute for Alexander-Arnold.
The 33-year-old was sent off following a VAR review in the 69th minute for head-butting Marseille’s goalkeeper Geronimo Rulli during a confrontation. UEFA’s disciplinary committee may now have grounds to impose an extended suspension on the full-back, potentially lasting until the Anfield clash in November.
This would leave manager Alonso with the challenging task of devising a ‘creative’ strategy to counteract Liverpool‘s threat down that wing.
Content Source: www.express.co.uk