Trent Alexander-Arnold and James Milner Close to Full Fitness

Liverpool will remain short on depth at centre half during the busy holiday fixture list, with both Joe Gomez and Joël Matip expect to be out until mid-January, but it’s not all bad news on the injury front for the Reds.

Speaking to reporters ahead of Friday’s match against Wolves, Jürgen Klopp said that Trent Alexander-Arnold is close to full fitness, and while he won’t play this week he is likely to be ready to play on Boxing Day.

“It actually looks surprisingly good,” Klopp said when asked about the young fullback. “I think Wolves will still be a bit too early but after that, they told me we can think about him. But for that, he needs to train.

“So far he didn’t train but the pain goes down second by second, which is good, and then in the moment when he can deal with it, he is on the pitch, and in the moment he is on the pitch we’ll make a decision.”

There’s also good news regarding James Milner, who missed the match against Manchester United on Sunday after picking up a knock late against Napoli, and the player is confident he’ll be able to play against Wolves.

“I just had a bit of a sensation in my hamstring at the end of the Napoli game and made the decision,” he said of missing United . “It was the right thing not to risk me at the weekend. I’ll be fine for the next game.”

Whether he’s needed to come straight back into the side—and perhaps to fill in at right back—will likely depend on how Nathaniel Clyne is feeling after his own impressive showing against United on Sunday.

By how he played there’s no doubt Clyne should be in the mix, but having played so little over the past year it’s not a given he will be up to starting back to back games and Milner may be needed at right back.