The injury that England and Liverpool right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold suffered on Wednesday and that left him out of the European Championship, as the English Football Federation announced on Thursday, confirms the curse that he has persecuted and continues to persecute the defenders of the Jürgen Klopp's team this season.
Alarms went off in the case of Alexander-Arnold, 22, at the end of England's friendly against Austria on Wednesday in Middlesbrough when the young international 'pross' had to withdraw from the field. He suffers a quadriceps injury that will keep him inactive for at least six weeks.
The first, Van Dijk
The ordeal for Liverpool's defenders began in October, in the derby against Everton (2-2), when Virgil van Dijk, mainstay of the 'red' team, suffered a torn cruciate ligament in the knee after a tackle by Jordan Pickford right and missed the rest of the season.
In November Joe Gomez was injured during a training session with the England team preparing a friendly against Ireland. The center-back underwent an operation to repair a ligament in his left knee. The problem centered on the tendon of the 'red' defender, who was unable to play again for the remainder of the season. Both Gomez and Van Dijk (until his injury captain of the Netherlands) also miss the European Championship. Klopp hopes to have them all to start next season.
This list of casualties was joined at the beginning of February by that of another center-back, Joel Matip, with an injury to the ligaments in his ankle after a collision with Son Heung-min in the game against Tottenham, an ailment that also left him out. that was left of course.
Fabinho, who Klopp reconverted in October to play alongside Joe Gomez when Van Dijk was injured, suffered several muscle injuries, but has been fit since early March. His return to the media was key for Liverpool to come back and could achieve a Champions League place at the end.
Liverpool signed two centrals in the winter market, Ozan Kabak (in his case, on loan from Schalke) and Ben Davies, given the situation in which he was at defensive level. A few days ago the Anfield club announced the incorporation of the also central Ibrahima Konaté, from Leipzig.
The illness of Alexander-Arnold, who dreamed of playing his first final phase of a great tournament with his national team, has awakened in Liverpool the bad memories that injuries bring to the 'reds' this season, keys in which they have not been able to achieve no title.