Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: Jurgen Klopp confirms Liverpool star set to miss ENTIRE season

In April, Oxlade-Chamberlain fell awkwardly in Liverpool’s first-leg Champions League semi-final win against Roma and was stretchered off.

It was then confirmed the 24-year-old had suffered a serious knee ligament injury and would miss the rest of the season and the World Cup.

Oxlade-Chamberlain was expected to return in 2019 before the end of the season but Klopp has now revealed the full story behind the injury and revealed the midfielder kept news of his injury secret.

“It feels like now is an appropriate time to tell people that for Ox this coming season will be about focusing on recovery and rehab,” Klopp said.

“We have known this from pretty much the day after he got the injury and after the successful surgery, we were sure of it. I hope everyone treats this information responsibly.

“There has been no change, no setback – it’s exactly on the schedule we expected and planned for. The new information is that we’re now giving more detail publicly.

“It is typical of Ox that he didn’t want the news to overshadow the end of the season and, to be quite honest, we thought we could wait and tell people at an appropriate time.

“His surgery – which he had on the day of our second leg in Rome – has been completely successful and his recovery has started superbly well.

“But the truth of the matter is that we are preparing this season knowing he will not be with us on the pitch for competitive matches for the majority of it.

“If we do see him back this season it will be a bonus.”

Liverpool insist Oxlade-Chamberlain has not suffered a setback in his rehabilitation but it remains to be seen if Klopp will now enter the transfer market to replace him.