Alexander-Arnold will not be in Liverpool’s squad for the League Cup final on Sunday

Trent Alexander-Arnold will not be available for Liverpool’s League Cup championship defense against Newcastle United on Sunday at Wembley, according to manager Arne Slot. This is a setback for a team that is already without two defenders due to injuries.

During Tuesday’s Champions League last-16 defeat to Paris St. Germain, Alexander-Arnold walked off the field due to an ankle injury.

“Trent is not available, in fact. On Friday, Slot informed reporters that he would not be attending the final. He still needs to be evaluated to see how long it will take. Before the season ends, we do anticipate his return.”

When Liverpool, who overcame Chelsea in the League Cup final last year, attempts to win their first trophy of the season on Sunday, Slot is optimistic Ibrahima Konate will be healthy enough to play.

Slot stated that Konate would be evaluated following training later on Friday. Konate was replaced during extra time against PSG.

“With Ibou, we expected only it to be that he was tired, or he had some cramps so we are hoping and are expecting that he will be ready to play Sunday again,” Slot explained. “We had yesterday off from training, and the day before was spent recovering. I anticipate that he will train with us today, but we’ll see.”

Joe Gomez and Conor Bradley, Liverpool’s right back, are already out by hamstring strains.

Alexander-Arnold’s exclusion from Thomas Tuchel’s England team early on Friday gave supporters a hint as to why he was not playing.

Slot stated that a victory on Sunday will not lessen the pain of Liverpool’s Champions League elimination, even though they have a significant lead in the Premier League title battle and may win two trophies this season.

“If we win or lose the final, there will be disappointment that we lost against Paris St Germain, we are out of that tournament,” he remarked.

We’ll strive to accomplish that, though, because you play games like this to win it. And since there are so many talented teams competing in every cup competition in this country, you can’t take a final for granted, therefore we’re genuinely looking forward to playing one again.

Naturally, if you are a part of it, you want to win it, and we are looking forward to being a part of it. However, Newcastle most likely wants that too.”

There is no indication that Liverpool would extend the contracts of Alexander-Arnold, forward Mohamed Salah, or captain Virgil van Dijk, who are all nearing the end of their current terms.

After Tuesday’s defeat, Van Dijk, who is reportedly considering a substantial contract offer from Saudi Arabian team Al-Hilal, said little when questioned about contract discussions.

“At the moment, I’m still unsure… “Nothing is on hold, not even talks,” the defense had stated.

Regarding Van Dijk’s remarks, Slot responded, “The only thing I know is that I want Virgil to be here next season, and all the rest, these talks about contracts, that’s not what I do over here.”