Trent Alexander Arnold could be one of just two fit senior right-backs available for Gareth Southgate when he announces his World Cup squad on November 10.
The England manager will have been ironing out the finer details of his 26-man travelling party since the final round of Nations League games in September. Alexander-Arnold’s place in that squad has been under serious threat, with the Liverpool right-back an unused substitute against Italy before being dropped from the squad entirely against Germany.
But despite the 23-year-old enduring a torrid 45 minutes in the 3-2 defeat at Arsenal before being substituted off with an ankle problem - for which the diagnosis is around two weeks out - his chances at joining fellow Red Jordan Henderson on the plane have shot up, with recent news that Reece James faces a race to be fit for the tournament.
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The 22-year-old was forced off during the second-half of Chelsea’s 2-0 Champions League win at AC Milan with what looked to be an innocuous knee injury. But according to the Daily Mail, a scan on Thursday revealed ligament damage, which could keep the right-back out for six to eight weeks.
Speaking to the media ahead of Chelsea’s trip to Aston Villa, Graham Potter attempted to quell rumours of a long-term absence but admitted the defender is set to see a specialist.
"He's due to see a specialist over the weekend so, until we get that information, there's not too much else I can add unfortunately,” Potter said. “The rest would just be speculation from my perspective.
"We spoke yesterday (Thursday) and he felt not too bad but, until you get these things checked, you never know. There's no point looking into the doomsday scenario yet. We just need to check and then go forward."
James becomes the third of Southgate’s four potential right-back options to pick up an injury in the last month, with Alexander-Arnold and Kyle Walker also sidelined for their respective clubs. Manchester City defender Walker exacerbated a groin issue in their 6-3 win against Manchester United and was forced to undergo surgery at the start of the month, putting his place in Southgate’s squad in serious doubt.
Reds star Alexander-Arnold does not require surgery on the nasty-looking ankle injury he suffered early on against Arsenal, managing to play out the remainder of the first-half before being replaced by Joe Gomez. He will miss this weekend’s clash against City but is expected to return in plenty of time to prove himself before Southgate’s November announcement.
He and Newcastle United’s Kieran Trippier - who has also been used as an auxiliary left-back for England - could be the only natural right-backs available to the Three Lions boss, although Arsenal’s Ben White has also been fulfilling the role under Mikel Arteta this season to a high standard.
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