The return to fitness of Liverpool’s Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain looks set to come a lot sooner that had previously been expected. The midfielder has been out of action since April 2018 when he suffered severe knee ligament damage in a Champions League semi-final clash with Roma.
Oxlade-Chamberlain was expected to miss the entirety of the 2018-19 season, but he has already returned to light training and could be back on the pitch by March. The Mirror reports that the 25-year-old is back training on grass and doing work with the ball and, barring any unforeseen setbacks, he will be back to full training by the middle of February.
This prognosis could see ‘the Ox’ return to first-team action by the middle of March with the Reds in Premier League action against Burnley (9 March), Fulham (16) and Tottenham (30), with a champions League trip to Bayern Munich on 13 March. Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp said last week of the midfielder: ‘He is close, very close. And in a really good way ‘That will still take a couple of… last time I put a bit of pressure on the medical department. ‘But when I see him moving the ball and what he’s doing already it looks really good, promising, close to return.’
The return of the former Arsenal man would be a welcome boost to the Reds as they push for the Premier League and Champions League titles. Liverpool are top of the Premier League table, four points clear of closest rivals Manchester City, while they take on Bayern Munich over two legs in the last 16 of the Champions League. Klopp has been struggling with injuries to his defence, of late, with Trent Alexander-Arnold, Dejan Lovren and Joe Gomez all currently sidelined, while Nathaniel Clyne is out on loan at Bournemouth and James Milner is suspended for the next Premier League contest after a red card against Crystal Palace.
