Trent Alexander-Arnold: Liverpool defender out for three weeks with knee injury

Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold has been ruled out for "probably three weeks" with a knee injury, says assistant manager Pep Lijnders.

The England international, 25, suffered the injury during Sunday's 2-0 FA Cup third-round win against Arsenal.

"Trent hyperextended his knee, so he has a little tear in the lateral ligament of his knee," said Lijnders.

"He had a scan. He will be out for probably three weeks. It's a big blow. We will really miss him."

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Lijnders added: "We will have to find new dynamics without him because he made our game flexible. Even in bad spells, he was the one putting the balls where we needed the difference.

"He will get some rest and then hopefully he can come back to where he was. Because this guy was decisive in all the games and was the one who created constantly for us from deep."

Liverpool are three points clear at the top of the Premier League and host Fulham in the Carabao Cup semi-final first leg on Wednesday.

They face Bournemouth in the Premier League on 21 January and play the second leg against Fulham on 24 January.

They meet Norwich or Bristol Rovers in the FA Cup fourth round on the weekend of 27 January before hosting Chelsea in the league on 31 January.

Alexander-Arnold, appointed club vice-captain last summer, has scored two goals in 25 games in all competitions for Liverpool this season.

Primarily a right-back, he has enjoyed success in midfield at times this season.

Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah is on international duty with Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations, while midfielder Wataru Endo is with Japan at the Asia Cup.

Lijnders said left-backs Andy Robertson and Kostas Tsimikas should return to training at the end of the month as they continue their recovery from shoulder injuries.

Midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai is out with a hamstring problem, but captain Virgil van Dijk is fit to face Fulham after recovering from illness.

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We asked readers on our dedicated Liverpool club page for their thoughts on how the Reds might cope with Alexander-Arnold's absence. Here are some of the responses:

James: Jarell Quansah can play right-back. Conor Bradley came on against Arsenal and showed why he was Bolton's player of the season last term. I think the right-back situation will be all right against Fulham (twice), Bournemouth, Norwich City/Bristol Rovers and Chelsea - and hopefully Alexander-Arnold is back against Arsenal.

Joel: Alexander-Arnold strikes fear into the opposition so we'll miss him. That said, I think any space a quality player leaves, another steps into it. We find a way to win across the whole team - so no worries. We'll keep the quadruple warm for when he returns.

Cheesedoff: This is a huge blow and I don't doubt there will be at least one more injury before the extensive list of injured players start to return. Sell Joel Matip and Thiago Alcantara ASAP and buy another right-back.

Patrick: Alexander-Arnold getting injured at this time, with a lack of fixtures against the top six, opens the door for Bradley to impress. I'm looking forward to seeing whether he seizes the chance.

Mo: Bradley to step up. A bit more support from midfield and he will be more than fine. His short cameo against Arsenal showed he shut down that flank better than when Alexander-Arnold was covering it. Great opportunity for him.

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