Liverpool midfielders Alex Oxalde-Chamberlain and Naby Keita were not involved in first-team training today.
That’s according to the Liverpool Echo, who claim the pair were missing from action today as the rest of the squad prepared to face Nottingham Forest on Saturday.
Oxlade-Chamberlain trained all of last week, but he ultimately missed out on a place on the bench for the 6-1 victory over Leeds United. Today, however, he was nowhere to be seen.
Keita last trained with the senior squad two weeks ago, and he hasn’t featured for the Reds since February.
Both players are out of contract in the summer, so they’re set to leave the club at the end of the season.
Ox and Keita missing from training
Whilst it’s not clear what the reasons are for their absences, both players have struggled with injuries during their careers at Anfield.
This has been somewhat disappointing, as Keita joined the Reds in 2018 in a huge deal worth £52.75m, whereas Oxlade-Chamberlain made the move a year prior for £40m.
During his five years at the club, the Guinea international has made just 129 appearances for the Reds. More worryingly, only 77 of these came from the starting XI.
Despite his extra year, the former England international has only made 146 appearances for the club, with only 70 of these coming from the initial line-up. This is surprising, given he has been hailed by teammates as an ‘unbelievable’ player.
It would be unfair to say neither midfielder has shown any promise at Liverpool – both certainly have. But their severe injury records have ruined their tenures with the club, and they’re now both set to leave this summer.