Liverpool and England midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain had a scary moment last week in Liverpool’s 5-2 Champions League victory over AS Roma. The Ox was involved in a challenge with Romaโs Aleksandar Kolarov, and the end result saw the Englishman undergo a very lengthy treatment on the pitch before being stretchered off.
Reds manager Jurgen Klopp said the former Arsenal man has a โreally bad injuryโ that โdoesnโt look good.โ It is indeed really bad- a knee ligament injury that will not only end his season with Liverpool, but also keep him out of the World Cup in Russia this June. If the England national team was part of your FIFA World Cup betting plans, then you might want to take heed of this development. Three Lions now have an absence in midfield to account and adjust for.
He was in contention to start for England this summer, having played in five of Three Lions’ six qualifiers. It’s even more devastating when you realize he made the 2014 World Cup roster, but suffered a minor knee injury in a warm-up friendly and never played in Brazil.
Oxlade-Chamberlain posted the crushing news on his Instagram account, as he wrote: “Absolutely devastated to have picked up that injury at such a crucial time in the season.”
“Gutted I won’t be able to play any further part now in our Champions League run for Liverpool, and also the World Cup with England. But now it’s all about supporting the boys and getting behind them. I know we have what it takes to do something special in this tournament.”
You got to feel for Oxlade-Chamberlain; what a terrible setback. Hopefully, better luck lies ahead for him in the future.
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