Klopp all but rules Liverpool midfielder out for the season

Jurgen Klopp has conceded Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is set to miss the entire 2018/19 season recovering from serious knee ligament damage.

Oxlade-Chamberlain has not featured for club or country since being stretchered off against Roma at the end of April and missed the 2018 World Cup as a result.

The 24-year-old was aware of the severity of his injury days after Liverpool’s triumph over Roma but kept the information from the public eye due to fears it would derail the momentum of his teammates.

Liverpool have been relatively quiet on Oxlade-Chamberlain’s injury since then but Klopp has finally revealed the worst news possible.

“It feels an appropriate time to tell people that for Ox this coming season will be about focusing on recovery and rehab,” Klopp told the club’s official website.

“We have known this from pretty much the day after he got the injury and after the successful surgery, we were sure of it. I hope everyone treats this information responsibly.

“There has been no change, no setback - it’s exactly on schedule we expected and planned for. The new information is that we’re now giving more detail publicly.

“It is typical of Ox that he didn’t want the news to overshadow the end of the season and, to be quite honest, we thought we could wait and tell people at an appropriate time.

“His surgery - which he had on the day of our second leg in Roma - has been completely successful and his recovery has started superbly well.

“But the truth of the matter is that we are preparing this season knowing he will not be with us on the pitch for competitive matches for the majority of it. If we do see him back this season it will be a bonus.”

Liverpool have already acquired two new central midfielders this summer in the shape of Fabinho and Naby Keita, which will help cover for Oxlade-Chamberlain spell on the sidelines and the departure of Emre Can.

Klopp are still expected to prise Nabil Fekir from Lyon to further bolster the club’s options ahead of the campaign, but news Oxlade-Chamberlain will miss the entire campaign is still a blow.

Liverpool were ridiculed for spending £40m to sign Oxlade-Chamberlain from Arsenal last summer when the England international only had 12 months left to run on his contract, but Klopp has helped change perceptions over the versatile midfielder.

Oxlade-Chamberlain was fantastic during the business end of the competition and would have certainly started for England at the World Cup in Russia this summer. In fact, only Mohamed Salah (10) provided more assists in the Premier League for Liverpool than Oxlade-Chamberlain (7).