Liverpool has been handed a boost.
In a season of bad news, we’re about to get a little bit of the good stuff as Trent Alexander-Arnold should return to training soon.
The Athletic’s James Pearce, reported by Anfield Watch, said the right-back should be available for the clash against Crystal Palace next week.
Neco Williams has filled in following Alexander-Arnold’s absence and James Milner’s injury, and while the youngster has shown some moments of promise, he is a considerably weaker option in that position.
Alexander-Arnold’s return to the side will be a massive boost for Liverpool in a few different ways. Not only will his attacking threat be important, but the right-back is also more positionally astute and is more tactically aware.
Liverpool has looked a little stodgy moving forward and while that can’t all be down to the missing TAA, some of that will be because of the injury.
Players are tired and overall quality is hard to maintain over a long period of time, but having 11 of the best players in the team will always help with that.
Alexander-Arnold has been out since the Manchester City game and missed the Leicester City and Brighton clashes, as well as the Champions League fixtures against Atalanta and Ajax.
While Liverpool only lost one of those four games, the side would have been much improved with their star right-back in the team.
It has been useful to see how Williams and Milner have fared at right-back, with the increased first-team exposure of Williams will help his development in the long-term.
Neco Williams has been an interesting player to watch. He impressed when he made his breakthrough last season, but has since struggled but looks to be gaining confidence with each game he plays.
Williams has played eight games this season, but hopefully, he won’t be needed for many more if Alexander-Arnold comes back in!