Jurgen Klopp has shot down suggestions that Liverpool’s medical department are to blame for Trent Alexander-Arnold and Dominik Szoboszlai both suffering a recurrence of recent injuries.
Having managed just two starts following his comeback from a knee problem, Alexander-Arnold is set for another stint on the sidelines after the same issue flared up again.
Szosboszlai, meanwhile, reinjured his hamstring in making his first start in a month as Chelsea were thrashed 4-1 at Anfield.
This has led to claims that both players were rushed back in order to aid the Reds’ pursuit of glory on four fronts.
However, Klopp was keen to dispel such rumours and said: “I got the news that there was a discussion that we might have forced Trent back because [he had] two setbacks.
“It’s really unfortunate, nobody wants that and nobody’s doing that (forcing the player back). [There are] different cases, different scenarios and, as long as I am here, we never forced anybody back and never will.
“We work in a high performance area where, if you had the same injury, you are fit after three days and [the player] is fit after four weeks because they have to sprint and stuff like this.
“We always try to catch the earliest moment but unfortunately when we catch that moment, nobody speaks about it. Like with Macca, or recently with Diogo, that’s a job we have to do.
“But the last decision is then always by the player and if we always listen only to the player then they would play after two weeks and then it’s a real problem.
“So the boys were, in the moment when they played, they were fit. But the situation told us then differently because it happened again.
“We will never know if it would have happened anyway or it just happened because there was something before. Very, very unlucky and unfortunate, absolutely, but I had that a couple of times in my time as a manager, not only here. It is not great, but nothing else.
“It says nothing about the quality of anybody but the world we are living in there is always [talk about] the medical department. We have to bring the boys as back as soon as possible but never sooner than they are ready.”
Matches Alexander-Arnold will likely miss:
While Alexander-Arnold’s absence will be a disadvantage for Liverpool, if Conor Bradley can get back to the form he was showing before the sad passing of his father, the Reds may be able to cope without too much impact.
Klopp has confirmed Bradley is available to play against Brentford.
