Liverpool Injury Update: Gomez Close, Chiesa and Ekitike on the Mend
Liverpool finally have some light creeping through a crowded treatment room – and it might arrive just in time for Europe.
Andoni Iraola’s side collected their first win under the new manager on Friday night, a controlled 2-0 victory at Ipswich, with Alexander Isak striking twice at Portman Road. It eased early-season nerves and, just as importantly, came with the hint that defensive reinforcements are not too far away.
Atletico Madrid visit Anfield on Wednesday for Liverpool’s Champions League opener. Iraola will almost certainly still be without several key names, but the timeline around a few long-term absentees is starting to sharpen.
Joe Gomez closing in
Joe Gomez’s summer started badly. Ten minutes into Liverpool’s first pre-season friendly, the defender pulled up and was forced off, another muscle issue for a player who has had more than his share of interruptions.
Initially, Iraola tried to dampen expectations.
“He will be some weeks off,” the Liverpool manager said after the Sunderland game in Nashville. “It's a muscle injury and [with] muscle injuries it is difficult to say one day, but normally I always put [it] as one month.”
That conservative estimate now looks about right. Before the trip to Ipswich, Iraola offered the update Liverpool supporters wanted to hear.
“Joe will probably start training with us next week, and it has gone normally. The recovery from a muscle injury – more or less, we were expecting the time on this. I hope we can have him before the break, let’s say.”
The club are tentatively eyeing the home game against Fulham on 12 September as a realistic return date. For a back line that has already been stretched, the timing could be significant.
Federico Chiesa set for October
Federico Chiesa has yet to kick a competitive ball for Liverpool this season.
The Italian forward tweaked his back in a pre-season outing against Como and has missed the opening three league fixtures with what the club have described as a muscle problem. Any hope of a rapid comeback has faded; Liverpool are planning without him until after the international break.
“I think even Fede should be around those dates [after the international break],” Iraola said last week.
Internally, the Man City clash at Anfield on 11 October is being treated as a realistic target. Until then, Iraola will have to juggle his attacking options without one of his most versatile forwards.
Hugo Ekitike’s long road back
Hugo Ekitike’s Liverpool career exploded into life last season, then stopped abruptly.
The French striker’s excellent debut campaign was cut short in April when he ruptured his Achilles tendon. He has not featured since. Serious injuries like that rarely come with precise calendars, and Iraola has been careful not to overpromise.
“Hugo will go [later this year],” the Reds’ boss said last week, hinting at a possible return before the end of the calendar year but stopping short of naming a match.
For now, the club are working on a long-range timeline, with a provisional “late 2026” marker attached to his full competitive return. The message is clear: patience, not pressure.
Conor Bradley still sidelined
On the opposite flank, Conor Bradley’s wait continues.
The right-back has been out since January after suffering an injury against Arsenal. The Northern Ireland international required surgery and remains unavailable as the new campaign settles into rhythm.
Liverpool believe Bradley could be back in contention before Ekitike. Iraola has suggested the defender might not be too far behind Chiesa in terms of his recovery curve, though the official guidance also points towards “late 2026” as a broad window.
For a squad leaning heavily on its full-backs, his return cannot come soon enough.
Giovanni Leoni nearing long-awaited return
If any player deserves a clean run, it is Giovanni Leoni.
The Italian youngster tore his ACL on his debut against Southampton a year ago and has not pulled on a Liverpool shirt in a competitive game since. A full season has slipped by in rehab and gym work.
Now, at last, there is movement.
“I think the plan is also to start training during the [international] break, with the group,” Iraola said before the win at Ipswich.
The target, again, is that home showdown with Man City on 11 October. If Leoni does step back onto the pitch that day, it will mark the end of a brutal chapter and the start of a new fight for minutes in Iraola’s evolving defence.
For Liverpool, the equation is simple. Atletico Madrid arrives too soon for most of these names. But as the autumn schedule tightens and the Champions League group stage bites, Iraola’s squad could start to look very different from the one that walked out at Portman Road.
