Liverpool full back Trent Alexander-Arnold's dip in form is the result of tiredness caused by his relentless hard work, Jurgen Klopp has explained.
After a strong start to the season, Alexander-Arnold has failed to meet his usual high standards over the last month or so, most notably with poor performances in the Champions League against Napoli and Red Star Belgrade.
Klopp has revealed how Alexander-Arnold's poor performances are the product of lethargy brought on by his
"Trent has played constantly," said Klopp, as quoted by the Mirror. "I have spoken to him about it – but not along the lines of ‘This is good, that isn’t.’ It’s more general advice.
"He is still a very young boy. He had two weeks off in the summer. That’s really not a lot.
"He has played a lot of football. He will play a lot of football – that’s the good news for him. It’s more important that he stays injury-free.
"It won’t be the first time or the last time in his life that everything isn’t 100%, but he’s still an outstanding player and really important to us."
Klopp gave Alexander-Arnold a brief rest last month, leaving him on the bench for Liverpool's Premier League matches against Manchester City and Huddersfield.
The international break offers no respite for the 20-year-old, who has been included in Gareth Southgate's England squad to face the United States and Croatia.
His Liverpool teammates Jordan Henderson and Joe Gomez have also been included in the squad, although Klopp has warned Southgate not to overwork Gomez, who is nursing a slight Achilles injury.
Source : 90min