Arne Slot fears Trent Alexander-Arnold sustained a serious injury in Liverpool’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa and said he would be surprised if his vice-captain is fit enough to play for England this week.
Alexander-Arnold limped off in the first half with a suspected hamstring problem which makes him a doubt for the Nations League games against Greece and Republic of Ireland.
The 26-year-old has started all four games under interim manager Lee Carsley, scoring in last month’s win in Finland, while Kyle Walker, Rico Lewis and Ezri Konsa are other options at right-back in the squad named for the November matches.
Liverpool face Real Madrid and Manchester City in their second and third matches after the international break, before a trip to Newcastle and a Merseyside derby, with Slot waiting for an assessment on Alexander-Arnold and worried how long the Liverpudlian may face on the sidelines.
He said: “It is difficult to say how serious it is but it is always serious if a player goes out in the first half. Not because I didn’t like him but he asked for it himself, he asked for it because he felt something.
“So that is first of all not a good sign. It is always difficult so close after the game to tell you exactly what it is but let’s wait and see. I would be surprised if we will see him playing for the England national team this week but hopefully he can.”
Darwin Nunez and Mohamed Salah scored against Villa and Slot hailed the Egyptian, saying: “I think he has the best numbers from all our attackers. All our attackers have great numbers but Mo stands out in that aspect.”