Adam Lallana has expressed his sympathy for Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain and said ‘it has been a tough few months’ for the Liverpool midfielder.
Oxlade-Chamberlain has barely featured during the second half of the season, failing to make the bench for the FA Cup final last Saturday and also for six of Liverpool's previous seven Premier League games. He returned to the matchday squad for Tuesday’s win at his former club Southampton when key men were rested.
However, he wasn't required by Jurgen Klopp, meaning his last appearance in the league came back in the 3-1 victory at home to Norwich City on February 19. After the Southampton game, Reds boss Klopp hailed Oxlade-Chamberlain, saying he is in ‘outstanding shape’ and that he was annoyed at himself for not giving the 28-year-old England international more game time.
And Lallana, who scored 22 goals in 178 appearances for Liverpool between 2014 and 2020 but became a more peripheral figure during his final seasons at the club, has offered encouragement to his former team-mate.
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“It has been a tough few months for Chambo,” Lallana, who was at St Mary's on Tuesday night to watch his former clubs in action, told BBC Radio 5 Live Sport. “Not being involved... I have been there myself. It’s hard to manage your own ego at times because you want to be playing.
"You feel sorry for yourself. At times, you do have to act. When you are down, you have to put a brave face on to support your team-mates. And you can be proud of doing that.”
Oxlade-Chamberlain could move on at the end of the season but he has still made 29 appearances over the course of the current campaign, scoring three goals and providing three assists.
And Lallana believes the former Arsenal man, who featured in every league game during the Africa Cup of Nations when the Reds were missing Mohamed Salah, Sadio Mane and Naby Keita, believes he has still had a big role to play in the club's success.
He said: “Come the end of the season, he has contributed. When the lads were at AFCON in January, he put in some unbelievable performances. He scored some important goals, so he has contributed massively. It was great to see him on the bench and celebrate with his players [after Tuesday’s 2-1 win over Southampton].”
