Liverpool have a fresh injury concern after Ryan Gravenberch withdrew from international duty
Liverpool are set for a busy return to Premier League action with two games in five days at the start of April against Everton and Fulham. The Toffees head to Anfield on April 2 for the final Merseyside derby of the season before Arne Slot takes his squad to Craven Cottage to face Fulham on April 6.
After being knocked out of the Champions League by Paris Saint-Germain and with the Reds’ Carabao Cup campaign ending in Wembley defeat to Newcastle United, the focus is firmly on sealing the Premier League title. The Reds need 16 points from their final nine games as things stand, although the required total will decrease if closest rivals Arsenal drop any more points.
Liverpool have picked up some fresh injury concerns in recent weeks but a lightened game load will help with recovery. After the Merseyside derby with Everton, Liverpool have no more midweek games as Slot looks to clinch a major trophy in his first season at the club
Liverpool injury news and possible return dates
Ryan Gravenberch
The midfielder is set to be assessed by Liverpool after withdrawing from the Netherlands squad for Nations League games with Spain on Thursday and Sunday. In a statement from the Dutch national team, they claimed Gravenberch was still struggling with an issue that he sustained during the Wembley loss to Newcastle United. Liverpool will hope his return to Merseyside is precautionary as he was spotted training with the Netherlands this week
Slot may opt to give Gravenberch a much-needed rest against Everton to avoid any further issues but with the Liverpool boss not expressing any concerns after the final, the midfielder is likely only facing a minor issue.
Possible return date: v Fulham, April 6.
Trent Alexander-Arnold
The Liverpool defender was withdrawn against Paris Saint-Germain earlier this month after appearing to injure his ankle while falling to the turf. No timeline has been offered for his return by the club. Speaking on March 14, Slot said: “Trent is indeed not available. He will not be there at the final. But he is still to be assessed for how long it’s going to take but we do expect him back in the end of the season
A recent report from the Daily Mail claimed Liverpool are looking at a mid-April return for the right-back, with Liverpool facing West Ham and Leicester City after their games with Everton and Fulham.
Possible return date: v Leicester City, April 20.
Conor Bradley
The Northern Ireland international has not played since being forced off in the 2-2 draw with Aston Villa by a muscle injury. He was left out of the Northern Ireland squad for friendlies with Switzerland and Sweden. His national team boss, Michael O’Neill, was able to give more clarity on the player’s injury as he discussed why Bradley was omitted from his squad.
O’Neill said earlier this month: “It wasn’t that close [Bradley playing for Northern Ireland in March], to be honest. Realistically, when you have an injury of that nature you always feel it will be a minimum of four to six weeks (out).”
The timeframe given by O’Neill would see Bradley return in early to mid-April.
Possible return date: v Fulham, April 6.
The 32-year-old is the undisputed number one for club and country, and he has been fantastic for both sides over the years
Alisson started for Brazil at the Estádio Nacional de Brasília Mané Garrincha, and the Liverpool star conceded a goal to his club teammate Luis Diaz.
However, in the second half, he had to come off injured after a nasty collision.
Brazil’s doctor shares update on Liverpool star Alisson Becker’s injury
Liverpool crashed out of both, the Champions League and the Carabao Cup in the space of a few days before the international break
The last thing they need now is injuries to complicate things further, but there was a scare late on Thursday night.
In the second half of the game between Brazil and Colombia, Alisson collided with Davinson Sanchez, who used to play for Tottenham Hotspur.
The two players clashed heads with significant force, and Alisson went to ground in a lot of pain
After the medical staff attended to him on the pitch, Brazil decided to use their concussion substitution and took Alisson off.
In a press conference after the game, the doctor of the Brazilian national team, Rodrigo Lasmar, shared an update on the Liverpool star’s injury.
He said, as per CNN Brazil: “Alisson suffered a trauma to the head region, he was replaced by a suspected concussion. Now we will do all the CBF protocol, it will undergo recommended imaging tests, a computed tomography, then a resonance with diffusion.
“If all the tests are normal, we’ll follow up and do a cognitive test. And then we will evaluate the player. In the possibility that everything is normal, we will make a sequence of observations in the coming days. Today, we will do the tests, all the necessary evaluations
Another Liverpool player may have suffered an injury
It’s bad enough that Alisson suffered an issue late on Thursday night, but there is another injury scare for Liverpool.
France faced Croatia in Split in the Nations League, and Les Bleus suffered a surprise 2-0 defeat at the hands of Zlatko Dalic’s side.
Ibrahima Konate was withdrawn at half-time in that game