Alexander-Arnold, Nunez miss Liverpool training
Trent Alexander-Arnold and Darwin Nunez were among the players not seen in Liverpool training on Thursday as the Reds prepare to face Wolverhampton Wanderers on Saturday.
The Reds and Gary O’Neil’s side will kick off the weekend’s Premier League action following the international break, as Wolves welcome their Merseyside counterparts to Molineux for the lunchtime kickoff.
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Jurgen Klopp’s side went into the international break with the wind in their sails, having taken 10 points from their opening four games against Chelsea, Bournemouth, Newcastle United and Aston Villa to sit third in the rankings.
Only Manchester City have obtained more points than Liverpool so far this term, while Tottenham Hotspur sit above the Reds on goal difference, but Klopp entered the two-week hiatus with numerous concerns bedevilling him.
Liverpool opened up a portion of their training session on Thursday morning to the media, but neither Alexander-Arnold nor Nunez were involved, sparking fears about their availability for the weekend.
Alexander-Arnold was brought off in the 71st minute of Liverpool’s win over Aston Villa two weekends ago with a hamstring problem, although he told Klopp that he did not believe the issue was too serious.
Nevertheless, the right-back was forced to withdraw from the England squad for their fixtures with Ukraine and Scotland, and Klopp will be expected to give an update on his condition when he addresses the media later this week.
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In addition, Uruguay striker Nunez – who had just started to hit a rich vein of form – suffered a muscular injury during the international break, as confirmed by Uruguay head coach Marcelo Bielsa.
The 24-year-old had registered an assist for Nicolas de la Cruz in a 3-1 World Cup qualifying win over Chile, but he was taken off at half time when Uruguay lost 2-1 to Ecuador three days later.
Nunez made his first Premier League start of the season against Villa after his heroic cameo off the bench against Newcastle United, and while he failed to score on the day, he set up Mohamed Salah and saw an effort crash against the post before deflecting into the net off Matty Cash
Amid doubts over Nunez’s fitness, Cody Gakpo and Diogo Jota are both on standby, while Thiago Alcantara was also nowhere to be seen in the practice session owing to his hip injury.