Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp has seemingly allayed any fears over Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain after he picked up a setback on his return to action last week.
The 25-year-old made his comeback from a serious knee injury in the U23s game against Derby County last week, but as noted in the club’s tweet below, he was forced to come off after 40 minutes with a muscle problem as a precaution.
That will undoubtedly have raised concern despite not being his injured knee, with the England international hoping to play some part this season as Liverpool continue to pursue Premier League and Champions League glory.
In a boost for the German tactician, he has revealed that it isn’t anything serious and has understandably reiterated that they’re being cautious with Oxlade-Chamberlain after such a serious setback last season.
“It’s not really surprising, it’s normal. The good news is the knee is perfect – nothing happened, that was our only concern,” he told the club’s website.
“Football games are different to football training, that’s why he felt the muscle a little bit, and thank God we were smart enough to take him off, even if it was only five minutes earlier than we thought [before the game]. That made absolute sense. Nothing else happened.”
That will be music to the ears of the player himself as well as the Liverpool fans, while Klopp will certainly welcome any additional quality and depth between now and the end of the season if Oxlade-Chamberlain can make his comeback for the senior side.
Having emerged as a key figure after his move from Arsenal last season, there’s no doubt that his return to the fold would give everyone at the club a lift at a crucial time of the campaign with major honours on the line still.
#LFC will assess the muscle issue Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain felt during his 40-minute appearance for #LFCU23s this afternoon.
— Liverpool FC (@LFC) March 8, 2019
