LIVERPOOL, England — Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could make his return from injury with Liverpool’s under-23s on Friday.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has been sidelined for more than 10 months after suffering a serious knee injury in the first leg of the Champions League semifinal against Roma last season.
The midfielder had initially been expected to miss the whole of this season but is ahead of schedule and may feature in the U23s’ Premier League 2 fixture at Derby on Friday.
“It’s a possibility, yes,” U23s manager Neil Critchley told reporters. “Obviously he’s been training with the first team now. That has been spoken about.
“I think it will depend on how he goes during this week in terms of his training. As the manager has previously said, there’s no rush. We’re not getting him back for a particular game. We have to do the right thing by him.
“If that situation arises on Friday, then it will be fantastic to see Alex back on the pitch.”
Meanwhile, Rhian Brewster is continuing his rehabilitation from a long-term injury, with manager Jurgen Klopp recently saying he did not expect the striker to be available again until preseason.
Brewster, 18 — promoted to the first team after signing a professional contract in the summer — has been out since last January with an ankle injury.
“Rhian is a little bit further behind,” Critchley said. “But he’s back on the pitch training and he’s in a positive mood, as he always is. He’s bright and bubbly.
“He’s looking forward to stepping up his training, but he’s still a few weeks away at the moment.”