OPINION
Liverpool were dealt a major injury blow on Tuesday with the news that right-back Trent Alexander-Arnold is set for four weeks out with a knee injury.
As reported by The Times, the young flyer is poised to spend a month on the sidelines after the injury blow, which he sustained in the warm-up ahead of their weekend win over Brighton, but proceeded to play 90 minutes in the 1-0 victory.
Considering the persistent injury problems experienced by alternative right-back Joe Gomez, this development will inevitably force Jurgen Klopp into playing someone out of position in the coming weeks.
His options include summer signing Fabinho, who regularly played at right-back during his time at Monaco, and James Milner, who has been deployed at full-back several times by Klopp before.
However, using players out of position always carries risk, while it also limits Klopp’s options in other areas of the pitch, where those players are most comfortable.
It is a bit of a regret then that Klopp decided to let Nathaniel Clyne leave the club this month, with the right-back joining Premier League side Bournemouth on loan.
As revealed by the Mirror, that loan deal has no recall clause included, meaning Klopp is unable to bring Clyne back as cover for the injured Alexander-Arnold.
The 27-year-old would have been the perfect candidate to step in for the youngster, with Clyne having plenty of experience at his preferred position, with the flyer also having performed well for Liverpool previously.
As mentioned, Klopp does still have options at right-back, but fine margins make the difference in a title race, and Alexander-Arnold’s injury may end up costing them dearly if things do not go to plan.
