Arne Slot has ruled Trent Alexander-Arnold out for Liverpool’s trip to Plymouth in the FA Cup fourth round – and cast doubt over his availability vs. Everton.
Though scans on Alexander-Arnold’s thigh injury confirmed the right-back had avoided serious injury, Slot and his staff are still taking caution.
That saw him unsurprisingly left out of the Carabao Cup semi-final decider against Tottenham on Thursday night and the head coach has now confirmed he will not be considered for the weekend either.
But providing an update in his pre-Plymouth press conference, Slot also suggested Alexander-Arnold would be touch-and-go for the Merseyside derby.
“Difficult to say,” he said when asked if his No. 66 would be fit for the final meeting with Everton at Goodison Park.
“It’s not going to take months and not even weeks, but that’s only three days after the Plymouth Argyle game, so let’s wait and see if he’s available.
“We also have to look at the long term. Of course we don’t want to take any risk with so many games coming up.
“But if he’s fit, then of course we will use him.”
Conor Bradley excelled in Alexander-Arnold’s place on Thursday night and is likely to be retained for the clash with Championship opposition at the weekend.
But that may depend on the outlook regarding Slot’s first-choice right-back, with Joe Gomez and Jarell Quansah also able to fill in while academy full-back Isaac Mabaya is another option.
Slot confirmed in his press conference that he will rotate on Sunday, providing those with a shortage of regular game time an opportunity to build up minutes.
That should see a start for James McConnell, with Tyler Morton now revealed to be sidelined with a shoulder injury.
