Jurgen Klopp has revealed that Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain is set to miss the entire 2018/19 season.

The Reds were reluctant to put a time frame on his likely return when he suffered a season-ending knee injury in the Champions League semi-final first leg against Roma at Anfield back in April.

However, it has now emerged that Oxlade-Chamberlain will be sidelined for around a year in total and is unlikely to play any part in the upcoming campaign.

The 24-year-old hasn't suffered a setback and the surgery he underwent eight days after being stretchered off was deemed a success.

Klopp says that Oxlade-Chamberlain had requested that Liverpool didn't release details about the full extent of the injury towards the end of last term as he didn't want to dent the feelgood factor en route to the Champions League final in Kiev.

The ECHO understands that he damaged his posterior cruciate ligament and his anterior cruciate ligament, as well as medial ligaments when he slid in to dispossess Roma's Aleksandar Kolarov. As a result he now faces a gruelling rehabilitation programme.

“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,” Klopp told Liverpoolfc.com.

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“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.

(Image: Andrew Powell/Liverpool FC via Getty Images)

“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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Liverpool's transfer activity this summer has been carried out in the knowledge that Oxlade-Chamberlain is unlikely to feature this season.

Klopp has been assured that he will make a full recovery and expects him to play a key role for the Reds in 2019/20.

(Image: Peter Byrne/PA Wire)

“It is so important because of how valuable and important he is to what we are looking to do here in the coming seasons that the focus is on doing this right and not rushed. Ox is completely on board with this approach,” Klopp added.

“He is such an outstandingly good person and someone who even when not playing is integral to the heartbeat of Melwood.

“I cannot wait to have him back with us for matches, but we will wait for him and we will show the patience that is required to make sure he comes back ready to continue where he left off: as one of the most outstanding performers in European football in that moment.”