Liverpool assistant manager Pep Lijnders confirmed the news ahead of the club’s Carabao Cup semi-final first leg against Fulham on Wednesday, live on Sky Sports.
Alexander-Arnold, who has been pivotal for Liverpool this season in a hybrid right-back and midfield role, is set to be sidelined for around three weeks, which rules him out of both semi-final legs against Fulham, a league trip to Bournemouth, and the club’s FA Cup fourth round tie against Norwich or Bristol Rovers.
The defender may also be a doubt for Liverpool’s home clash against Chelsea on January 31, as well as a crucial title race trip to Arsenal on February 4.
“Trent hyperextended his knee during the last game [against Arsenal in the FA Cup third round],” says Ljinders.
“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.”
With Alexander-Arnold out, it could see a run in the Liverpool team for Northern Ireland defender Conor Bradley. The 20-year-old played the final few minutes of Sunday’s 2-0 win over Arsenal in the right-back role.
“We have many weapons so there is no-one irreplaceable here,” added Liverpool assitant Lijnders. “Mo [Salah] goes away, [Diogo] Jota steps up.
“We don’t rely on one, two, three or four players. We are missing four or five core players from our leadership group – Robb, Trent, Mo – so that’s a blow of course and he creates a lot of flexibility from the back and he can play passes that the forwards really like.
“He has physicality, he knows how to decide games and knows where to put balls but the squad has a lot of other qualities in my opinion. But for sure we need to find new dynamics.”
January 10: Fulham (H) – Carabao Cup semi-final first leg, live on Sky Sports, kick-off 8pm
January 21: Bournemouth (A) – Premier League, live on Sky Sports, kick-off 4.30pm
January 24: Fulham (A) – Carabao Cup semi-final second leg, live on Sky Sports, kick-off 8pm
January 27: Norwich or Bristol Rovers (H) – FA Cup fourth round, date/time TBC
January 31: Chelsea (H) – Premier League, kick-off 8.15pm
February 4: Arsenal (A) – Premier League, live on Sky Sports, kick-off 4.30pm
