Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp says Trent Alexander-Arnold was not forced back from injury too soon, with the defender sidelined for the Carabao Cup final against Chelsea on 25 February.
Alexander-Arnold recently returned from three weeks out with a knee problem.
He aggravated the issue during a 3-1 win over Burnley last Saturday, when he was taken off at half-time.
“As long as I am here, we never forced anybody back and will never do,” said Klopp.
“A thing we have to clarify a bit. I was not really aware of it, but I got the news that there was a discussion we might have forced Trent back because of two setbacks.
“Nobody wants that and nobody is doing that.
“But we work in a high-performance area. We always try to catch the earliest moment [when someone is injured]. Unfortunately, when we catch that early moment, nobody speaks about that.
“The last decision is always with the player, but if you always listen to the player, they would play after two weeks and it’s a real problem.”
Alexander-Arnold first injured his knee during the FA Cup third-round win at Arsenal on 7 January and returned as a substitute in the fourth-round victory against Norwich City on 28 January.
He was also a substitute in a home win against Chelsea before starting in a defeat at Arsenal on 4 February, when he was taken off at about the hour mark.
The England international also started against Burnley but was taken off at half-time because of the issue with his knee.
Reds midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai is also sidelined at the moment with a recurrence of a hamstring injury.
“Very unlucky and unfortunate, but it can happen,” added Klopp, speaking before his side’s game at Brentford on Saturday (12:30 GMT).
“It says nothing about the quality of anybody. The world we are living in [people say], ‘the medical department, I’m not sure about that’. It’s nothing to do with that.
“We have to bring the boys back as soon possible but never sooner than they are ready.”
He added: “It’s a super intense period. People think about the [Carabao Cup] final, which is fine absolutely, but before that we have Brentford and Luton.
“I didn’t think for one second about the final yet – that’s one game but before that we have two games and they [Alexander-Arnold and Szoboszlai] cannot play, which is as bad.
“With Dom, it will be around that time [the final]. We will see exactly how it works. With Trent maybe a week or two longer, so it’s not great.
“Not sure if Dom has a chance for the final, but maybe, and Trent will probably be after.”
Liverpool forward Mohamed Salah, who sustained a hamstring injury playing for Egypt at the Africa Cup of Nations on 18 January, is in contention to play against Brentford after returning to full training.
Meanwhile, Klopp has won the Premier League manager of the month award for January, while Reds forward Diogo Jota has won the player award.
Liverpool won all their three league games in January, while Jota scored three goals and registered two assists in those games.
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