The THREE players who could REPLACE Trent Alexander-Arnold

Trent Alexander-Arnold has been RULED OUT of the Carabao Cup final. The 26-year-old right-back came off injured during Liverpool’s Champions League last-16 defeat to Paris Saint-Germain on Tuesday.

Trent suffered an awkward fall sliding off the pitch and was hit with an ankle injury. It took him several minutes to make it back to the dressing room and the timeline on the injury appears uncertain.

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Head coach Arne Slot has since confirmed that Alexander-Arnold won’t play at Wembley on Sunday. It leaves Slot in a tough spot as Trent’s regular deputy Conor Bradley is ALSO injured. So too is Joe Gomez, who has also played extensively in the position.

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Bradley has been hit with a hamstring strain, already missing several weeks since being injured against Aston Villa in the Premier League in February. There are several possibilities open for Slot in order to solve his impending Carabao Cup crisis.

Liverpool don’t have a natural replacement for Trent, Gomez or Bradley and here we look at the options available to the Liverpool boss ahead of the game against Newcastle.

Jarell Quansah

Jarell Quansah was the chosen one when Trent was injured in midweek. Although a natural centre-back, Quansah was brought on by Slot at right-back against PSG. He fared decently, overlapping Mohamed Salah and even aimed a header onto the post.

The recent England call-up doesn’t have the playmaking ability of Trent nor the speed of Bradley but looks the most assured option Slot has at his disposal.

He did however struggle in the away Premier League game against Newcastle in December - a 3-3 draw - and so Slot might be tempted to switch things up.

That means Wataru Endo could come into the fold. A holding midfielder by trade, Endo has nonetheless done a job when required at centre-back for Liverpool this season.

Wataru Endo

Not only that but he was on hand to fill in at right-back during the last-16 first leg against PSG at the Parc des Princes last week. The Japan captain handled the task admirably, putting himself into contention for a start in the Wembley showpiece.

But also suggested an even more unconventional approach could be on the cards on Sunday. “I think maybe even Curtis could play there or you could also play with a left-footed defender on the right side, which is what Newcastle are doing but on the opposite side,” the Liverpool coach stated in a pre-match press conference.

Curtis Jones

Curtis, of course, means Curtis Jones. He is not a full-back in the “Cafu” sense by any means. But with his quality on the ball, he could certainly emulate Trent in the Liverpool build-up.

There is no doubt he would be vulnerable to pace in behind but this approach would mean Liverpool intend to dominate possession. He has only started in that position ONCE before - for Jurgen Klopp in an EFL Cup third-round game against Leicester in 2023/24.

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“So I need to find solutions, and Curtis was always in my mind as a potential solution there, because he’s really football smart,” the German said. “That’s how it is. He enjoys being on the ball and the deeper you are, the more often you can get the ball.”

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