Alex Oxlade Chamberlain - Out for Liverpool & England.
After producing some great performances in recent weeks for Liverpool, Alex Oxlade Chamberlain suffered a season ending injury in Liverpool’s UEFA Champions League clash against AS Roma on Tuesday night. The midfielder was forced off on a stretcher after a challenge on former Man City player Aleksander Kolorov which left him rolling in pain.
The news broke on Wednesday morning after a scan which showed knee ligament injury, he spoke out on Instagram shortly after. Georginio Wijnaldum is the most likely candidate to step in and replace him during Liverpool’s lunch time kick off against Stoke City this weekend in the Premier League.
Liverpool Teammates React
Liverpool teammates took to twitter in full support of Oxlade-Chamberlain following the news.
I wish you all the best and I’m confident you’ll be back even stronger than before.@Alex_OxChambo pic.twitter.com/1KRk53ISjH
— Mohamed Salah (@MoSalah) April 25, 2018
It was a good night, but soured by the injury to the Ox, who’s been fantastic. Get fit soon mate pic.twitter.com/yMJagxPSrf
— James Milner (@JamesMilner) April 24, 2018
You will come back stronger, as strong as an Ox! Wishing you a fast recovery mate! #YNWA
— Simon Mignolet (@SMignolet) April 25, 2018
Gutted for you bro! You will come back better and stronger 💪🏽🙏🏽
— Virgil van Dijk (@VirgilvDijk) April 25, 2018
Liverpool have not put a specific timescale on the injury but have stated he “will begin a rehabilitation programme which will enable him to reach full fitness again as soon as possible, returning to action next season”. The reds will be without Oxlade-Chamberlain for their upcoming Semi Final second leg against AS Roma and the possibility of a Champions League final on May 26th.
The 24 year old started slow in the current Premier League campaign with Arsenal before heading to Anfield in late August, he moved to get more game time and hope to get a spot in Gareth Southgate’s World Cup squad this summer. He also missed out on Euro 2016 because of a similar knee injury.
How will the Reds cope without the midfielder and how much of a miss to England will he be?
Let us know your thoughts and who should replace him on the plane to Russia on our twitter page.
Get our World Cup betting tips and predictions bookmarked ready for the big summer tournament – our tips will be posted in the very near future!