Expert reveals ‘brutal reality’ for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain as Liverpool footage emerges
The “brutal reality” is that Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain will likely never be a regular Liverpool starter again as his body is not able to cope with the demands.
That is the view of medical expert Ben Dinnery, who runs the Premier Injuries site and has a background in injury and data analysis.
Oxlade-Chamberlain, 28, has spent much of his time at Liverpool sidelined with various soft tissue problems.
The midfielder pulled up with a hamstring problem before half-time in the Reds’ 2-0 friendly win over Crystal Palace last Friday (15 July)
As relayed by talkSPORT later that day, video footage shows Oxlade-Chamberlain punching the turf in frustration after he broke down.
Dinnery explains that the 35-time England international is no longer physically capable of being a Liverpool regular.
“The brutal reality of the situation is maybe Oxlade-Chamberlain isn’t going to be a player who can play week in, week out,” he told Football Insider’s Adam Williams.
“It’s possible that his body can’t cope with that intensity. I was surprised to learn that since he left Southampton, he hasn’t started more than 17 games in a season. The most number of minutes he has played was 1562 at Arsenal.
“There have been a lot of quite serious injuries that have disrupted key periods of his career.
“This setback doesn’t appear to be anything major on the face of it but Oxlade-Chamberlain isn’t going to be one that Klopp will want to start every game. He will be on the fringes of the first team.
“When he has high intensity and a high number of minutes, he tends to break down. That is something that Klopp himself has highlighted. Because of that, he’ll be used sparingly.”
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