Liverpool have confirmed that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is likely to the vast majority of the 2018-19 season as he continues his recovery from knee ligament damage, with manager Jurgen Klopp saying “it will be a bonus” if the 24-year-old plays at all.
Oxlade-Chamberlain injured his knee during Liverpool’s Champions League semifinal with Roma in April and underwent successful surgery eight days later.
“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,” Klopp told Liverpool’s 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 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.
“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.”
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