Liverpool continued their impressive form against Arsenal in the FA Cup at the weekend.
The Reds took the lead with seven minutes remaining when Jakub Kiwior headed Trent Alexander-Arnold’s free-kick into his own net. Luis Diaz then added a second in stoppage time.
Next up is a Carabao Cup semi-final first-leg tie against Fulham at Anfield. And with that game in mind, below is a look at the latest Liverpool injuries and return dates, with a new name added to the already over-flowing AXA Training Centre medical room…
Trent Alexander-Arnold
Speaking on Tuesday afternoon to preview the up coming game against Marco Silva’s side, Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders confirmed that Trent Alexander-Arnold will be sidelined for “a few weeks” due to a knee injury.
The Reds vice-captain sustained the issue during the win over Arsenal, and Lijnders said: “First of all, some not-that-good news, Trent hyperextended his knee during the last game. So he has a little tear in the lateral ligament of his knee and he will need time to recover. He had a scan and he will be out for a few weeks, so let’s see after that.
“He will get some rest and then hopefully he can come back to where he was. Because this guy was decisive in all the games and was the one who created constantly for us from deep and gave the team a high level of flexibility. We will really miss him.”
Expected return date: February
Virgil van Dijk
Virgil van Dijk missed the 2-0 FA Cup victory against Arsenal due to illness. But speaking on Tuesday afternoon, Pep Lijnders confirmed that the Liverpool captain will be back for the game against Fulham. He said: “Virgil is back.
“He did some runs yesterday on the pitch, looked good again. So he will be back in the squad, he recovered well. So it really helped him not to travel to London.”
Expected return date: January 10
Dominik Szoboszlai
Dominik Szoboszlai is progressing well – but will not be available for Wednesday night’s game against Fulham.,
The midfielder suffered a hamstring injury against Newcastle United on New Year’s Day. “Dom is progressing well on the pitch, he’s running, so let’s see,” Pep Lijnders said. “Not available for tomorrow.”
Expected return date: January 20
Kostas Tsimikas
Kostas Tsimikas suffered a nasty collision following a challenge from Arsenal winger Bukayo Saka, which saw him land awkwardly on his shoulder, resulting in a broken collarbone Speaking after the 1-1 draw with the Gunners, Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp confirmed it was not good news. Klopp said: “He [Tsimikas] broke his collarbone at least. That’s really bad for us.”
Taking to Instagram last week, the Greece international posted: “Not long now!” as well as a picture of himself running
And today, Pep Lijnders said: “Kostas is progressing really well, really quick. So hopefully both of them – Robbo and Kostas – will be back at the end of this month to train with the team.”
Expected return date: February
Andy Robertson
Andy Robertson is set to make a timely return in the coming weeks after being out since suffering a shoulder injury on international duty with Scotland.
The full-back was forced to undergo surgery on a dislocated shoulder and has been out of action since – missing the Reds’ rise to the top of the Premier League table and Scotland’s successful Euro 2024 qualification bid.
Providing an update on Robertson, Pep Lijnders said: “And then we have Robbo, he’s almost at the three-month mark, so he will get checked by the surgeon.
“And if he does that scan and we see everything [so] that we can really progress him, he will go to Dubai for a week to do proper volume sessions, proper sessions, so that will be good for him. Then we see the three-month-mark scan and then we can see how quick he can go into contact again.”
Expected return date: February
Thiago Alcantara
Thiago Alcantara hasn’t featured for Liverpool since their win over West Ham United back in April.
A hip issue has proven problematic for the midfielder, who underwent surgery in a bid to bring an end to the problem.. The last update issued on Thiago came today, with Pep Lijnders hopeful of seeing the midfielder back next month.
He said: “They [Thiago and Stefan Bajcetic] will not be ready for the end of this month. It will probably be going into the next month to train with us. But both [with] no complications, progressing.”
Expected return date: Unknown
Stefan Bajcetic
Stefan Bajcetic has endured a frustrating period for Liverpool after a number of injury problems.
He enjoyed a strong debut season, during a dismal period for the club, but saw his campaign end after a stress response in his adductor in March. Bajcetic returned in September with outings in the Carabao Cup and Europa League but his involvement against LASK Linz proved to be the last after suffering a calf issue.
Expected return date: Unknown
Joel Matip
Joel Matip is recovering from surgery after suffering an anterior cruciate ligament injury. The 32-year-old, who is the final months of his contract at Anfield, is likely to miss the rest of the season.
He was left stricken on the Anfield turf in the 70th-minute of the dramatic 4-3 win over Fulham on December 3 after an off-the-ball incident. “It’s an ACL, ruptured, so that’s what I unfortunately expected from the first second. Everything looked like that. Very unfortunate,” Jurgen Klopp said.
Expected return date: 2024/25 season
Ben Doak
Ben Doak was recently forced off in an under-21s match against Chelsea – sustaining a blow to the knee. The Scot is not expected to be rushed back anytime soon. Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders said of his condition: “That’s not a good one. He teared his lateral meniscus, which needs surgery.
“That one will take [a] longer time. He is young, he is a fit guy, he is a positive guy so for sure he will come back stronger, and we need him to come back with the same fire he has with the ball, how he was. He can take time and we will wait for him.”
Expected return date: Unknown
