Liverpool title bid given timely lift as Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain returns to action

Oxlade-Chamberlain is st to make his first run-out since sustaining serious knee ligament damage 10 months ago
Action Images via Reuters
David Lynch7 March 2019

Coming as it did in the aftermath of two disappointing goalless draws, the news of Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain’s imminent Liverpool return could not have been better timed.

The midfielder is set to appear for the club’s Under-23s against Derby on Friday - his first run-out since sustaining serious knee ligament damage 10 months ago.

And the prospect of him taking another big step towards a first-team comeback has understandably prompted excitement from supporters.

After overcoming a slow start following a summer move from Arsenal, Oxlade-Chamberlain had firmly established himself in Jurgen Klopp’s starting XI by the time his devastating injury blow was delivered last April.

Such was the scope of the Englishman’s influence during that period, the loss of his midfield drive is even being lamented during a season that promises a record league points tally.

But, while there are no downsides to his impending return, fans must exercise caution when positioning Oxlade-Chamberlain as the saviour of their faltering title challenge.

There are no guarantees that the Reds’ No21 will react well to his appearance for the U23s, no matter how smoothly his rehabilitation has progressed so far.

The club’s medical staff are reluctant to put a date on a potential first-team comeback this season for that reason - they have seen enough setbacks to know that patience is a virtue.

And, when the England international does eventually return to Klopp’s squad, he will do so severely short of match fitness.

Oxlade-Chamberlain’s spell on the sidelines is likely to exceed 11 months before he plays again; readapting to elite-level football is sure to take further time.

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So, if Liverpool’s title push is to get back on track after those disappointing stalemates at Manchester United and Everton, the inspiration is more likely to come from players who are currently fully fit.

Naby Keita and Xherdan Shaqiri, two summer signings whose qualities were supposed to account for Oxlade-Chamberlain’s absence, could well be key to that.

Of course, it doesn’t bode well that the pair featured for a combined 18 minutes in those draws at Old Trafford and Goodison Park.

And, as a midfielder whose strength is linking back to front from a box-to-box role, it is particularly worrying that £50m man Keita did not leave the bench in either fixture.

Returning: Oxlade-Chamberlain is set to play for the U23s on Friday
AFP/Getty Images

But both men have shown enough in 2018-19 to suggest they can make a bigger impact going forward and, if Liverpool are to win the title, it is perhaps essential that they do so.

Meanwhile, any contributions from Oxlade-Chamberlain between now and May must simply be considered a bonus.

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