Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has been ruled out of Liverpool’s plans for next season with Jürgen Klopp admitting it will be “a bonus” if the midfielder plays a competitive game before May. The full extent of the knee injury was revealed on the day Liverpool agreed a world‑record €75m fee for the Roma goalkeeper Alisson.

Oxlade-Chamberlain missed the Champions League final and England’s World Cup campaign because of an injury sustained against Roma on 24 April. It has been confirmed the 24-year-old sustained multiple ligament damage and is expected to be out of action for up to 12 months in total.

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Liverpool, and the player, knew the full extent of the injury within days of the semi-final first‑leg win at Anfield but did not go public with the prognosis at the request of the England international. Oxlade-Chamberlain did not want the severity of his ligament damage to disturb teammates’ preparations for the Champions League final against Real Madrid in May and kept the news between himself, Klopp and the medical staff involved in his recovery.

The former Arsenal midfielder, who was in outstanding form before the Roma game, had a successful operation eight days after sustaining an injury that damaged his cruciate and medial ligaments plus the tendons to his hamstring. That is expected to be the only surgery required. His rehabilitation is on course and Liverpool do not view the injury as career-defining although accept it may take a full year from the time of the challenge at Anfield for the £40m signing to make a complete recovery.

Klopp said: “It feels like now is an appropriate time to tell people that for Ox this coming season will be about focusing on recovery and rehab.

“We have known this from pretty much the day after he got the injury, and after the successful surgery we were sure of it. I hope everyone treats this information responsibly. There has been no change, no setback – it’s exactly on the schedule we expected and planned for. The new information is that we’re now giving more detail publicly.

“It is typical of Ox that he didn’t want the news to overshadow the end of the season and, to be quite honest, we thought we could wait and tell people at an appropriate time. His surgery – which he had on the day of our second leg in Rome – has been completely successful and his recovery has started superbly well. But the truth of the matter is that we are preparing this season knowing he will not be with us on the pitch for competitive matches for the majority of it. If we do see him back this season, it will be a bonus.”

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The length of Oxlade-Chamberlain’s absence will not influence Liverpool’s transfer business for the remainder of this window. Klopp, as he stated, has been resigned to the player’s absence since April and already added Naby Keita, Fabinho and Xherdan Shaqiri to his outfield options for the new campaign. Alisson will join the incomings subject to a medical on Thursday, becoming the world’s most expensive goalkeeper in the process, and is expected to be Liverpool’s final signing of the transfer window. A proposed £53m move for the Lyon captain, Nabil Fekir, will not be revived due to the Anfield club’s concerns over the player’s medical.

Alisson will sign a six-year contract and take Liverpool’s summer spend to £176m. The Brazil international has agreed personal terms and interrupted a post-World Cup holiday in Sardinia on Wednesday to fly to Merseyside before his medical. Klopp’s priority once the deal is concluded will be to offload several players deemed surplus to requirements, with the manager admitting his squad is too big. Simon Mignolet, Daniel Sturridge, Danny Ings, Divock Origi and Lazar Markovic could all depart. “Of course we have to sell,” Klopp said. “We cannot go with 35-40 players. We need a lot of players but not 40.”

The manager said the summer’s transfer business has strengthened his squad considerably. “Maybe it is the first year we don’t sell a key player. There was always a lot of change but in both directions. Now it is more in one direction. That is clear. Big teams, successful teams, if you don’t buy it you have to build it. That means stay together, bring additions in and make the next step: stay together, bring additions in, make the next step. That is how it is. The team and squad is in a really good moment.

“We had the situation at the end of last season where we had 12 players and so the players know we need depth in the squad. It is not like they say: ‘Why are you bringing in another midfielder? We are all still here.’ They know we need the quality and they know that, if we win something here, then we will win it with 25 players. That is exactly how we feel. I am really looking forward to the season. I know it will be long and hard and difficult and all that stuff but, if we are lucky with injuries a little bit and get one or two penalties at Anfield, then it should be OK.”

Klopp’s long-time assistant Zeljko Buvac will not return to his role at Liverpool. The club’s assistant manager stepped down for what were described as personal reasons before the Champions League semi-final second leg against Roma last season. Liverpool are believed to be finalising the terms of his departure.