Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain out for season as Liverpool reveal extent of 'multiple ligament injury'

Both Liverpool and Oxlade-Chamberlain have known about the news since the day after his surgery in May but did not want it to overshadow the Champions League run

A day of contrasts at Anfield. While Liverpool moved closer to the signing of Alisson in a world record fee for a goalkeeper, it was revealed that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is unlikely to feature in the 2018/19 campaign.

The midfielder sustained what the club is describing as a ‘multiple ligament injury’ in last season's Champions League semi-final first leg against AS Roma.

Though Oxlade-Chamberlain has been aware of the severity of his situation since April, he suggested that any announcement detailing the process of recovery should not be released until later because he did not want his own misfortune to disturb the momentum around Liverpool’s run to the final.

It is believed he did not even tell his teammates about the expected length of his absence in order to maintain their positive focus.

Though Oxlade-Chamberlain is now able to walk again following an operation which took place eight days after suffering the injury, Klopp considers this as the right moment to explain what lies ahead for the 24-year-old.

(REUTERS)

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

“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.”

The news broke shortly after Liverpool agreed personal terms with Alisson, the £67million Brazilian who is expected to arrive on Merseyside from his holiday in Sardinia for a medical as early as tomorrow.

Should Liverpool complete that deal, it will shatter the previous record set by a goalkeeper last summer when Manchester City bought Ederson from Benfica for almost half the amount.