Liverpool attacker shares what Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain did after finding out he was injured

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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain ensured he spoke to Liverpool youngster Layton Stewart every day after finding out they’d had the same injury.

Stewart fell victim to a horrendous knee injury back in March 2021 – a time when he banging in goals as an 18-year-old in the academy. Although a heart-breaking moment for the young striker, he has told GOAL how some of Liverpool’s senior stars helped him through the pain.

“Ox [Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain] was a big help. He had the same injury [in 2018], and when he found out what I’d done he came over and was always talking to me, making sure I was alright and making sure I was doing my work,” recalls Stewart. “Joe Gomez was the same, really good. I’ll never forget that, because it meant a lot to a young player.”

Liverpool turning negatives into positives

Unfortunately, Liverpool do have quite a few players who will have known just what Stewart was going through back in 2021.

As well as Oxlade-Chamberlain and Gomez, Virgil van Dijk is another to have suffered a damaging knee injury. Meanwhile Luis Diaz was hit with one this season and a host of otherwise players are what you’d have to call ‘injury prone.’

Clearly, that is no good thing. But in situations like the one Stewart was in, that experience can be useful.

It was obviously a big help for the 20-year-old to have the support of senior members of Jurgen Klopp’s squad. Having returned to fitness and made his full Liverpool debut in the last year, he’ll be a better player for it.

For now though, it looks unlikely that Stewart, Ox and Gomez will feature in the first team together. The young man has proclaimed that he expects to go on-loan for next season, with Oxlade-Chamberlain set to leave on a free this summer.

While the Reds may not miss the former Arsenal man on the pitch too much, his personality will be a shame to lose. Always bubbly, chatty and a professional , Stewart’s story is a good little insight into that. The injuries though, we won’t be upset to see the back of.