Liverpool team news: Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will be back from injury sooner than expected, says Jurgen Klopp

Liverpool feared the English midfielder would miss the whole of the current season after sustaining a knee injury in April

Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could return to first team training at the end of February and feature in the latter stages of the season after recovering from a serious knee injury, says manager Jurgen Klopp.

The English midfielder has missed the last eight months of football, including the World Cup, after he damaged his knee ligaments during the Champions League semi-final win against Roma in April.

It was expected that the injury would keep the 25-year-old out of the entirety of the current season, but the signs are that he is progressing well and will return much earlier than thought.

Oxlade-Chamberlain recently gave fans a boost by sharing a picture of himself running outdoors at the club’s Melwood training ground, and now Klopp believes he could be ready for the last part of this season.

“Best news,” the Liverpool manager declared. “He started going on the pitch and looked normal. We had to wait for the reaction and there was none.

“No pressure on him, huh? It looks like February being back in normal training. Late February, maybe March. It gives us hope he will be back in this season.

“It’s a surprise [his rehab]. It looks really good. Of course it needs time and each little muscle must now adapt to the intensity. We try not to push him too much but we don’t want to hold him back.

“If you look at the sessions he does outside he looks like he can play tomorrow but of course it is not possible. It’s a boost for the entire dressing room because he is such a big part of that.

"If he makes further steps like he did in the last few weeks he can play Premier League football this season, which is nice to know."

A return to training in late February may not see him feature for the first team until late March or early April, but the boost at the end of the season could be crucial if Liverpool remain in the title race as well as taking part in the latter stages of the Champions League.

Elsewhere, James Milner has been ruled out of Saturday’s match against Arsenal with a muscular issue that caused him to miss the Boxing Day victory against Newcastle.

“Millie [Milner] is Millie and that means he is again ahead of schedule. He had, yes, a little bit with the [hamstring] muscle. He will not be available for tomorrow, that’s not possible, but hopefully the game after that he will be available again,” said Klopp.

With Joe Gomez and Joel Matip injured until late January, Alberto Moreno could make his third Premier League appearance of the season at left-back having recovered from a back injury.

“Alberto trained the first time really pain-free yesterday so he will probably be in contention,” said Klopp, who provided an update on Dominic Solanke’s fitness. “Dom Solanke has muscle problems and will not be involved. Joe [Gomez] obviously not, and Joel [Matip] not. Both are doing well and making big steps but it will take some time.”