OPINION
There couldn’t be a better time for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain to return to action for Liverpool.
The Reds are on the cusp of domestic and European success, but will need all the help they can get in making one or both of those things happen, and having the impactful England international back from his long term absence will be a massive boost.
The signs are promising for a comeback in the immediate future, with Jurgen Klopp suggesting that the 25-year-old will be “100% fit” after the current international break, as quoted in the Liverpool Echo.
The red half of Merseyside will be rejoicing at that news for sure, but one man who might fall foul of the Ox’s return to the fold is James Milner.
The veteran campaigner has been battling for a place in the starting 11 with Naby Keita and the recently returned Adam Lallana for a rotating spot in Klopp’s plans, with Jordan Henderson, Gini Wijnaldum, and Fabinho staking a fairly solid claim as his got to midfield trio in recent weeks.
Increasingly, it feels as if Milner’s playing opportunities are being limited, and while he is still a reliable option at full-back, and a trusted influence in the big mates, it’s not hard to foresee a situation in which he was slowly edged out of the picture.
The 33-year-old is a well-respected character and still boasts the physicality of a player much younger than he is, but that can’t last forever, and he must be sweating over the prospect of being forced out further by Oxlade-Chamberlain’s much anticipated return.
