6 months ago
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For the first time in his career, the Liverpool star missed significant time due to injuries—but was glad to see others step up in his absence.
Injuries in football are inevitable, and it’s rare that a player will make it through any season without missing at least a handful of games due to fitness. For Liverpool’s creative fulcrum Trent Alexander-Arnold, though, 2023-24 was an especially tough one.
Following a September that saw him sidelined by a hamstring injury, a torn knee ligament kept Alexander-Arnold out for three months and 16 more games in the second half of the season. It was, by far, the most injury-hit season of the 25-year-old’s career.
“It was a tough time,” he reflected of his struggled. “It was one that taught me to be patient and a time that was difficult. It’s never nice for any player to be injured but it just makes you stronger, appreciate the times when you’re fit and able to play games.”
A career revival for Joe Gomez, who took the opportunity provided by Alexander-Arnold as well as Andy Robertson’s injury struggles this past season to prove he can still be a key contributor, and the emergence of young Conor Bradley, at least helped.
While it was difficult for Alexander-Arnold to be stuck sidelined, he says at least watching players step up to capably cover for his absence was good to see—and is one of the positives they will now take from the 2023-24 season moving forward.
“You just want people to step up and help the team win,” he added. “Conor did really well throughout that time to be able to step in and of Joe Gomez as well, who was exceptional over the course of the season. Both of them have been really good.
“It was a good season, built on [2022-23]: got better as a team, challenged for the title, took it far and we improved. Any time you improve means that it’s a good season. Take the positives and move forward and hopefully again next season.”
