An injury expert has delivered a worrying verdict on Trent Alexander-Arnold after he was forced off during Liverpool’s Champions League Round of 16 clash against Paris Saint-Germain. The right-back was substituted in the 72nd minute after seemingly twisting his ankle while making a tackle, as the Reds endured penalty shootout heartbreak following Ousmane Dembele’s aggregate equaliser earlier in the night.
The Englishman, who continues to be linked with a move to Real Madrid in the upcoming summer, was one of Arne Slot's best performers over the two legs, proving more than capable of keeping Khvicha Kvaratskhelia at bay in 180 minutes of foot-to-the-pedal football. However, the worry now is that the 26-year-old could be sidelined for a significant portion of the remainder of the season.
After remaining on the ground for several moments with a look of visible pain painted on his face - while a stretcher was prepared - Alexander-Arnold eventually managed to get back on his feet by himself. However, that now seems academic as concerning updates about his condition have since emerged.
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Worrying Alexander-Arnold Injury Verdict Emerges
He is likely to miss the Carabao Cup final on Sunday
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Alexander-Arnold is no doubt one of the Reds' better penalty takers, and his influence in the fateful shootout later in the night was sorely missed as Curtis Jones and Darwin Nunez both saw their efforts saved. But now the dust is starting to settle somewhat on Tuesday night's loss, the bigger concern now is that Liverpool could be without him for a significant period of time.
Physio Scout, an injury expert, took some time to look deeper into what unfolded as the right-back was left in visible agony. Posting to X, they confirmed he could be out for more than 10 weeks in the worst possible scenario. They said (see post below):
"Forced eversion at the ankle after a tackle brings concern for a high ankle sprain/syndesmosis injury. The other possibility would be an axial loading foot/ankle injury, which has a bunch of possibilities for recovery time. Not a great mechanism, and he could very well miss a few weeks with the injury. There is a smaller chance of just a contusion injury (fast recovery). Would be lucky to miss only a week or two.
"Potential Recovery Times:
"If axial loading injury: From 1 week to a few weeks
"Mod Grade Syndesmosis: 3-4 weeks
"High Grade Syndesmosis: 8-10 weeks w/ surgery."
Arne Slot has also since issued an update on both Alexander-Arnold and Ibrahima Konate following full-time. The Liverpool boss admitted that he would be 'surprised' if his first-choice right-back would make Sunday's League Cup final against Newcastle United, while he is more optimistic about the swift return of Konate.
Asked to provide an update following Tuesday's Champions League exit, Slot revealed, as per the Mirror: "I have to ask, but for me, Ibou [Konate] was more that he was tired than it was an injury. With Trent, he had to come off. That’s never a good sign. And from what I heard from people that saw the images or how he got injured, that didn’t look very good. So I would be surprised if he is available for Sunday."