Liverpool may be about to get some bad news on Trent Alexander-Arnold after Arne Slot’s Plymouth hint

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Liverpool need to move on quickly after taking a punch from Plymouth Argyle in the FA Cup on Sunday.

There could be no hiding place for the Reds as they surprisingly fell to the Championship basement-dwellers in the fourth round.

In some respects, Liverpool were set up to fail from the moment Arne Slot left so many regular starters out of his travelling party.

In others, there was more than enough quality within the Liverpool squad to navigate a team 43 places below them in the Football League.

On the day, one of the bigger talking points about the team Slot selected was what was going on at right-back.

But after seeing James McConnell and then Isaac Mabaya try their hand on the right side of defence, Liverpool fans may have reason to be worried about Trent Alexander-Arnold ahead of Wednesday’s Merseyside Derby.

Arne Slot drops Trent Alexander-Arnold hint

In ordinary circumstances, an FA Cup tie against lower league opposition would have seen Conor Bradley come in for a start at right-back.

Bradley was excellent against Tottenham last Thursday and with Slot suggesting that Alexander-Arnold would be back for Everton, the Northern Irishman had been expected to go again at Plymouth.

However, that Bradley was not chosen to start should have rang a few alarm bells for Liverpool supporters.

That he was not even in the travelling squad suggests that the 21-year-old is in line to begin Wednesday’s game instead of Trent.

READ MORE: Why Curtis Jones did not come off the bench during Liverpool’s FA Cup defeat to Plymouth

Clearly, Slot felt Bradley was not worth risking at Home Park. Had Alexander-Arnold been on track for a return at Goodison Park, there’s no reason for that to be the case.

As a result, it now looks virtually certain that the Scouser will not be fit for what is set to be his last ever away Merseyside Derby.

Liverpool badly need Alexander-Arnold vs Everton

Given his status as a chief chance creator for the team, Liverpool badly need Alexander-Arnold fit to face Everton.

The Toffees have a stingy defence and the Reds will have to work hard to break them down. That is always easier with Trent in the team.

Of course, Bradley is a potent attacking force too, and his direct forward running can make even the most well organised sides uncomfortable.

But with all due respect to the Northern Ireland international, he is still not in the league of Alexander-Arnold.

In what is Liverpool’s biggest game of the season to date, they need their best players on the pitch. Whatever the uncertainty over his future, Alexander-Arnold still falls into that category. Unfortunately, all the signs suggest he will not be ready.