Liverpool won the game to be crowned world champions for the first time in their history, but Oxlade-Chamberlain had to be withdrawn in the second half and now joins Fabinho, Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip on the club’s injury list.
Speaking to the media at a press conference on Christmas Eve, Klopp explained that the England international is not fit to play in the next two games against Leicester or Wolves.
“The ankle [is] what we probably expected. You have three ligaments on the outside of the ankle, one of them is damaged,” Klopp explained in quotes published by LiverpoolFC.com.
“Now we have to see how quickly we can fix that. I don’t know exactly. I had that injury myself, but it was years ago and it can take a while or can be quick, we have to see.
“No chance for Thursday and no chance for this year; Oxlade will not play anymore [in 2019], that’s clear. Then we have to see how quickly it can settle.”
Klopp had more positive news on Fabinho, Lovren and Matip, because there have been no relapses in their expected respective recoveries. But none of the trio will return just yet.
“There is no news on anyone else, which is good news. Both [Lovren and Matip] and Fabinho are in a really good way, but of course not ready for these games,” the boss said.
Oxlade-Chamberlain started both games in the Club World Cup and has been a key part of squad rotation in the Premier League and so would more than likely have started against either Wolves or Leicester in the coming days if he was fit to do so.
Defensively, the ongoing absences of Lovren and Matip leave Virgil van Dijk and Joe Gomez as the only available first-team centre-backs. Van Dijk’s recent illness in Qatar highlighted a problem when Jordan Henderson was asked to fill in.
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Source : 90min