Big surprise in Liverpool's Champions League squad

Bengaluru, September 5: Liverpool have named their 25-man squad for the UEFA Champions League group stage and there is one major surprise which is a a cause for concern.

England international right-back and the club's undisputed first-choice Nathaniel Clyne was left out of the squad due to a back injury. The names cannot be changed till February which has raised concerns over the seriousness of the defender's injury.

It was thought that the extent of Clyne's injury was not that serious but after the omission, fans have every right to be nervous.

Meanwhile, want-away superstar Philippe Coutinho was named in the squad as expected but we will eagerly await to see how Jurgen Klopp deals with the Brazilian once he returns from international duty.

Midfielder Adam Lallana was included despite still being out with a thigh injury diagonised in early August and was expected to keep him out for three months, while Sheyi Ojo and Ryan Kent have also been put on the list despite being on loan at Fulham and Freiburg respectively.

Liverpool are not allowed to alter their Champions League squad until the knockout stage in February, providing they qualify, which suggests Clyne is likely to be unavailable for the short term.

The club did not respond to requests for clarification of Clyne's omission or the extent of his injury.

Clyne played just 45 minutes in Liverpool's opening pre-season fixture against Tranmere but has not featured for the Reds since.

The 18-year-old Trent Alexander-Arnold has impressed at right-back already this season with Joe Gomez, 20, providing cover and manager Jurgen Klopp is likely to continue to rotate the two for the first half of the season.

However, neither Gomez nor Arnold come close to Clyne in terms of first-team experience which Liverpool need to thrive in Europe as well as in the League.