Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold has said the serious ankle injury suffered by his teammate Harvey Elliott in their 3-0 win over Leeds United caused considerable distress to the whole squad.
Elliott received his third consecutive league start for the Reds on Sunday afternoon at Elland Road, but was stretchered off in the 63rd minute with a dislocated ankle following a robust challenge from Pascal Struijk which saw the Leeds’ centre-back receive a straight red card.
The 18-year-old was taken to hospital after the game but was later discharged. He will undergo surgery in the coming days, but it is currently unknown how long the midfielder will be sidelined for. However, it is expected to be for the long-term.
“In times like this it’s not about the result. The result is always important but when something like that happens on the pitch, it’s never nice,” the 23-year-old said.
“It really affects everyone out there, you can see the distress on everyone’s faces and how much everyone was around him and caring for him,” he added.
“But he’s an amazing player, an amazing person, and I’m sure once he’s had a bit of time to recover he’ll be able to hit the ground running and get on with his recovery. It’s tough.”
Goals from Mohamed Salah, Fabinho and Sadio Mane sealed a convincing result for Liverpool, but despite the scoreline, Alexander-Arnold also said his side lacked ruthlessness.
“We could have been a lot more clinical, put the game to bed earlier and really probably scored a lot more goals.”
It was the third win in four league games for Jurgen Klopp’s side, and the Reds now occupy 3rd place in the Premier League behind Manchester United and Chelsea.
