According to a recent report by the Liverpool Echo, Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is expected to be available for first-team duties after the international break. The Reds manager Jurgen Klopp reckons that the midfielder would be “100 percent fit” by the time Liverpool take on Tottenham Hotspur at Anfield later this month (Liverpool Echo).
This recent development will be a massive boost for Klopp’s chances of bringing some silverware to the red half of Merseyside this season. Liverpool are currently going strong in the Premier League as they sit pretty at the top of the table heading into the final seven matches of this campaign. Furthermore, the Merseyside outfit are also doing well in the UEFA Champions League and are set to take on FC Porto in the quarter-final stage of the competition.
Klopp will need the help of all of his players if he wants to cope with the fixtures as they come thick and fast in the final few weeks of this season. Oxlade-Chamberlain was enjoying a rich vein of form prior to his injury 11 months ago when he ruptured his knee ligaments.
The English midfielder also played an instrumental part in helping his side reach the Champions League final last season. Hence, he might fancy his chances of making a similar kind of impact this term, especially with two inviting fixtures against Porto looming on the horizon.
However, there are still some question marks regarding his ability to hit the ground running after such a lengthy injury layoff. Oxlade-Chamberlain has gradually completed his long road to recovery over the past year and is now on the brink of making a return to first-team action. He has decent pace and is a very penetrative dribbler with the ball. The 25-year-old can unlock a defence through his driving runs from midfield.
Furthermore, his off-the-ball pressing is also quite impressive which is why Klopp could use him as a secret weapon in Liverpool’s crucial run-in in both the Premier League as well as the Champions League. Oxlade-Chamberlain has the X-factor in his game to play an essential part for Klopp’s side in the coming months.
Only time will tell whether the English midfielder can re-establish himself in the Reds first-team after the international break.
