Kolkata, August 8: Liverpool's Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is likely to miss the entire 2018-19 season as he continues his recovery from a knee injury.
The midfielder has been out of action since he picked up a knee injury in the UEFA Champions League's first-leg semifinal at home against AS Roma in April, which they won 5-2.
Liverpool badly missed him in the final against Real Madrid in Kiev, Ukraine, which they lost 1-3 and he was subsequently ruled of contention for a berth in England's squad for the 2018 FIFA World Cup in Russia.
Liverpool have signed Fabinho and Naby Keita in the summer transfer window. With the likes of Xherdan Shaqiri and Allison already in the squad, Jurgen Klopp's men look a serious Premier League title contender this time.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has gone through many injuries in his career so far but this one looks like biggest setback in his career.
Despite the injury, he tried to stay positive and tweeted saying 'these things happen' and that he was hoping to recharge his batteries.
It’s been a tough few months, dealing with the biggest set back of my career to date at such a promising time, but these things happen. It’s always good to get away, clear the head and recharge... 🔋☀️ pic.twitter.com/nu5ERntZiV
— Alex Ox-Chamberlain (@Alex_OxChambo) August 7, 2018
The 24-year-old was finding his feet in the second half of the season for the Reds. The England international has made 42 appearances in all competitions for Liverpool and scored five goals in the previous season. Oxlade-Chamberlain preferred to move to Liverpool from Arsenal in the summer transfer window of 2017-18 campaign, mainly to play as a central midfielder as former Gunners manager Arsene Wenger was employing him as a wingback.
At Anfield, Klopp gave Oxlade-Chamberlain enough opportunities to flourish in the midfield and he was very much successful in that role. The injury has come at a real bad time for Oxlade-Chamberlain, but one hopes he recovers quickly.