Trent Alexander-Arnold gives Liverpool big boost after injury fears

Liverpool have been given an injury boost with Trent Alexander-Arnold only expected to be sidelined for a couple of weeks with a hamstring problem.

The vice-captain, who limped off in Saturday’s 2-0 win over Aston Villa, could be fit for the Champions League clash with Real Madrid and is expected to be back for the Premier League meeting with champions Manchester City at the latest.

However, he is set to miss England’s Nations League games against Greece and Republic of Ireland this week.

Liverpool manager Arne Slot said he feared Alexander-Arnold had suffered a “serious” injury on Saturday but the right-back mitigated the damage by coming off as soon as he felt a problem.

He has been playing with pain in recent weeks, having injections on a side injury he sustained during England’s October win in Finland.

Alexander-Arnold, who scored in Helsinki, has been named man of the match in all three of England’s victories under interim manager Lee Carsley and played on against Finland to help them complete a 3-1 win. He has since played six games for Liverpool, with the team needing him for a demanding block of matches.

Conor Bradley is Liverpool’s alternative right-back, though Joe Gomez can also fill in there as required. Kyle Walker is the other right-back in Carsley’s England squad.