Jurgen Klopp has given Liverpool fans an update on Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain's injury, stating that that midfielder is likely to miss the majority of the Reds' 2018/19 Premier League campaign.
The former Arsenal man suffered a knee ligament injury during Liverpool's Champions League semi-final first leg last season, and the extent of the injury is as bad as feared, with the midfielder set for a lengthy spell on the sidelines.
Klopp, speaking to LiverpoolFC.com, said: “It feels like now is an appropriate time to tell people that for Ox this coming season will be about focusing on recovery and rehab.
“We have known this from pretty much the day after he got the injury and after the successful surgery, we were sure of it. There has been no change, no setback – it’s exactly on the schedule we expected and planned for. The new information is that we’re now giving more detail publicly."
Whilst most Liverpool fans expected a lengthy injury lay off for Oxlade-Chamberlain, the news that he's set to miss the entire 18/19 campaign will come as a blow. The midfielder had started to make his presence felt in Jurgen Klopp's system, putting in a number of eye catching performances before injury struck.
It's understood that the fan favourite underwent successful surgery just eight days after suffering the injury, and so his focus will be on rehabilitation.
Whilst Reds fans will still be looking holding out hope of catching a glimpse of him in a Liverpool kit this season, the reality is Oxlade-Chamberlain may not see first team game time until the 2019/2020 season.