According to Arne Slot, Trent Alexander-Arnold is not fit enough to start Liverpool’s Champions League clash against Real Madrid at Anfield – but he could play a role off the bench.

The England right-back returned to team training in Kirkby on Tuesday after being sidelined with a thigh injury against Aston Villa earlier this month.

Alisson, Diogo Jota and Federico Chiesa remain missing, while Kostas Tsimikas was added to the missing list after twisting his ankle in training.

Slot is likely to hold Alexander-Arnold back for Sunday’s Premier League showdown against Manchester City, which will see Conor Bradley take on Real Madrid.

“It’s funny that you talk about our injuries because most people only ask about the injuries that Real Madrid have. We’ve had a few recently,” Slot said.

“Trent is in the squad but won’t be in the starting line-up. He can maybe manage a few minutes. In an ideal world he might not do this, but if it’s really necessary he can.

“Federico is not in the squad yet. He trains with us, not the whole unit, but one or two parts.

“Harvey Elliott is on the team but hasn’t played competitive football in a long time. It’s there, but not ready to go. Alisson is not there yet, Diogo is not there yet, Kostas is not there yet – he also has an injury. It’s a pretty extensive list for us too.”

Alexander-Arnold suffered the injury earlier this month (Carl Recine/Getty Images)

Alexander-Arnold’s future is uncertain as his contract expires next summer. He has been heavily linked with a move to Real Madrid but left-back Andy Robertson insists his close friend is solely focused on helping Liverpool to glory this season.

Mohamed Salah and Virgil van Dijk are also in the final year of their current contracts.

Robertson said: “All I can say is that if you look at Mo today or yesterday, he is the ultimate professional. The same goes for Virgil and Trent, who are in similar positions. They are so focused on the next game, training and preparing properly. They were leaders.

“We won’t be distracted and they won’t be distracted. We are all excited about the game tomorrow night.

“Trent is one of the closest friends I have in the locker room. We went on a journey together, so to speak. He is a fantastic footballer, a fantastic person. The quality speaks for itself.

“He is one of, if not the best right-back in the world. He shows that year after year and he’s still pretty young. He has the will to succeed and the will to learn. We saw that this season too. It’s a pleasure to play with him. We grew together in the full-back role and I enjoyed doing that with him.”

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(Top photo: Jan Kruger/Getty Images)