A trio of Liverpool first-teamers have missed training ahead of the Champions League visit of Rangers, according to a report with BBC Sport.
According to BBC Sport Merseyside, Naby Keita, Curtis Jones and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain all missed training ahead of the visit of Giovanni van Bronckhorst’s side.
This comes as the Anfield club are boosted by the return of centre-back Ibrahima Konate and ex-Aberdeen right-back Calvin Ramsay to first-team training.
But whilst Rangers fans might be looking for a boost from the latest list of absentees, it remains unclear if any or all three of the players would’ve been involved at Anfield.
Liverpool trio set to miss Rangers Champions League clash
Naby Keita – a then Liverpool club-record £48m signing from RB Leipzig in 2017 – has been at the Anfield club for five seasons but has never really found consistency on Merseyside.
Playing in 117 matches since joining, it means that Keita has averaged only around 23 games per season which given Liverpool’s hectic schedule is a fraction of their recent campaigns.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – signed for £35m from Arsenal the same summer as Keita – is another who has been a bit part player for the club over the last few seasons.
Evolving from a right-winger to a midfielder during his time with Liverpool, Chamberlain has played 133 times since joining the ranks at Anfield but the 29-year-old is yet to feature this season.
Both players are obviously talented footballers but at present it appears Liverpool are choosing other options from within their squad anyway.
Curtis Jones – one of the Anfield club’s brightest young talents – hasn’t been seen since the Community Shield win over Man City and the 21-year-old is now likely to miss the Rangers clash.
Coming through the youth Academy at Liverpool, Jones is another on the fringes of the squad but given his age and talent he’s certainly better placed to make an impact from here on in at Anfield than his teammates.
Meanwhile, Rangers are facing up to nine injury absences ahead of the Champions League trip to Merseyside.
