Liverpool defender Trent Alexander-Arnold is closing in on a return to fitness and he believes there is an outside chance he could return for next months’ trip to Manchester United

Trent Alexander-Arnold is growing confident he will be fit for Liverpool ’s trip to Old Trafford on April 7.

The right back has upped his training during the international break at the club’s Kirkby base and Kop boss Jurgen Klopp believes the trip across the M62 to face Manchester United in the league is a realistic target.

Klopp is eager to have more senior stars available as they’ll be out for revenge after their heart-breaking FA Cup exit at the hands of their bitter rivals last weekend.

Alexander-Arnold has been out since suffering a recurrence of a knee ligament injury in early February. There is a chance the defender could be fit to face Sheffield United at home three days earlier but the clock is ticking.

Alexander-Arnold will take no part in England’s fixtures against Brazil and Belgium during the international break due to his knee issue. He had started in an advanced midfield role in England’s last two European qualifiers under Gareth Southgate.

His impressive form for Liverpool this season means Alexander-Arnold has a strong chance of making Southgate’s 25-man squad for this summer’s European Championships – even though he hasn’t always been first-choice for his country in his natural right-back position.

As the tournament draws closer, Alexander-Arnold emphasised that he has no issue with that in a recent interview with FourFourTwo. The Reds vice-captain explained: “In a different era and different generation, I’d have played much more for my country. However, I’m a firm believer in my own ability, what I bring to a team and what I can do on a football pitch.

“I still believe I’ve got a big role to play with England, to go and help the team win silverware — whether I play every minute of a tournament or I play no minutes at all in a tournament.

“I fully understand that decisions have to be made and I’ll never throw my toys out the pram. It’s always disappointing when you’re told you’re not in the squad or you’re not in the team. But I’m someone who’s very rational around those kinds of things. I know how difficult it must be. You’ve got so many options, so many decisions to make, and I’ll never hold it against a manager for making that decision.”